Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 785: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when she expects the availability of psychological services to be increased in line with the best practice internationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34361/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will, I'm sure, be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA and have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved and paid for by NEPS.

The Deputy will also be aware that since NEPS was established, we have trebled the number of psychologists in the service. Notwithstanding this and as I have previously announced my Department is committed to increasing psychological service staffing further, so that by 2009 there will be 200 NEPS psychologists.

To this end I can inform the Deputy that my Department has been working, in conjunction with the Public Appointments Commission to recruit new psychologists from an existing panel to the service. The number of NEPS psychologists has increased from a total of 128 in April to a current level of 136. In all 11 psychologists have been recruited in this period but due to the normal effect of resignations and retirement the net increase is 8. In addition my Department has recently contracted a further 3 psychologists with 2 due to take up duty before years' end. A further psychologist will take up duty in early January 2008.

The panel concerned is now exhausted and the Public Appointments Service has recently announced the commencement of a competition from which a new panel will be drawn to continue the recruitment process. The deadline for receipt of applications in this regard has now passed and work is proceeding on the short-listing of candidates for interview. It is envisaged that the process will be completed and panels formed as quickly as possible allowing recruitment to re-commence early in 2008. It is intended that both through completing the process for hiring the additional 31 psychologists approved for 2007 and by hiring another 11 in 2008, the number of NEPS psychologists will increase to 169 next year.

My Department remains committed to the development of a strong and robust educational psychological service serving the needs of all primary and post-primary pupils.