David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount allocated to the National Council for Special Education in 2010, 2011 and the amount expected to be allocated in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3227/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to inform the Deputy that my Department allocated funding of €9,215,000 in 2010 and €9,015,000 in 2011 to the National Council for Special Education. My Department is currently finalising the funding allocation to the National Council for Special Education for 2012.

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the amount allocated to National Education and Psychological Service in 2010, 2011 and the amount expected to be allocated in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3229/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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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. In 2010 my Department's expenditure in support of this service amounted to €16.65m, in 2011 to €17.79m (provisional) and the allocation in this regard in the 2012 budget is €18.72m. The number of individual psychologists currently employed by NEPS is 173 and it is envisaged that this number will increase by 6-7 in the coming year.