Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received a report on the availability of resources to carry out assessments of need for children where special education needs are suspected; the extent of waiting times and of rationing in selection for assessment; if she has received submissions from the National Educational Psychological Service, the National Educational Welfare Board or the teachers unions on resource availability for assessment work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12675/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware 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, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

NEPS does not keep waiting lists for assessments of children but, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention, in consultation with their assigned NEPS psychologist. Only if there is a failure to make reasonable progress in spite of the school's best efforts, will a child be referred for individual psychological assessment.

This system allows the psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

I can inform the Deputy that during 2006/07 my Department, through NEPS, funded some 4,416 psychological assessments under the SCPA. In this period NEPS psychologists undertook casework in respect of some 8,183 named pupils, including cases under the Reasonable Accommodation for Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme on behalf of the State Examinations Commission. In addition, it is estimated that NEPS psychologists gave consultations, advice and assistance to teachers and school authorities in respect of an additional 5,000 unnamed pupils, although this figure is not disaggregated by level of school.

Since May 2007, the number of psychologists employed within the NEPS service has increased from 128 to 138 and during 2008 this complement will increase to 169. In this regard, following a national recruitment process put in place in late 2007 by the Public Appointments Service, interviews in this regard have recently been completed and regional panels are currently being formed from which recruits will be drawn for appointment to priority regions, some 20 panellists have recently been offered postings and are in negotiation in relation to placement.

As I have previously stated, and in line with Government commitments under the T2016 Agreement, it is further my intention to increase NEPS psychologist personnel to 200 during 2009.

On the legislative front, the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 provides for an educational assessment for children with special educational needs and the entitlement to an education plan to meet those needs. As the Deputy will also be aware, many sections of the Act have already commenced and I am anxious to implement the Act in full in the quickest time possible. However, following consideration of the issues raised in the National Council for Special Education's implementation plan, and the consultations to date with the Education Partners, I consider that the five year timeframe acknowledged in the legislation is the appropriate period in which to implement the remaining provisions of the Act.

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 193: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she is satisfied that the individual need of each child which was the core concept of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 is being respected under the new weighted system which only provides additional resources for a child who falls in the outer range of a one-dimensional measure of special need. [12676/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, my Department implemented a general allocation system of learning support/resource teachers (LS/RT) to mainstream primary schools in September 2005. The system is intended to cater for children with high-incidence special education needs such as borderline mild general learning disability and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. The allocation is also intended to support those with learning support needs. This ensures that resources are permanently in place in schools to provide supports for individual children.

The system allows schools to use their professional judgement in responding quickly and effectively to the individual needs of children with special educational needs. The system facilitates flexibility in the delivery of interventions by schools in allowing for individualised tuition, group work, in-class support or a combination of these interventions, whichever is considered the most appropriate for the child in question.

This capacity to use the General Allocation Model to meet the individual needs of pupils will continue when the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act is implemented.