Written answers

Wednesday, 15 July 2015

Department of Education and Skills

National Educational Psychological Service Staff

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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287. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average salary of a National Educational Psychological Service psychologist; the number of such psychologists currently employed; their rates of pay; and the salary scales applicable to their positions. [29563/15]

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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288. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of National Educational Psychological Service psychologists currently employed, by county; the number of these currently on maternity leave or sick leave and who have not been replaced. [29564/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 288 together.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools 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.

The staffing structure of NEPS for professional grades comprises posts at Director, Regional Director, Senior Educational Psychologist and Educational Psychologist level. NEPS is organised on an 8 region structure with each region headed by a Regional Director. Currently there are 23 regional and local offices providing service to schools within their catchment areas. The allocation of schools to NEPS psychologists is therefore done on the basis of regional rather than county distribution with individual staff providing service to schools in one or a number of counties. It is not therefore feasible to disaggregate employment numbers by county.

As of 31st June last NEPS established numbers amounted to 178 psychologists (equating with 167.9 whole-time-equivalents when work-sharing arrangement are factored in). A regional breakdown of these number is provided in the attached table.

In the same period there were some 7 staff (7 w.t.e.) staff on statutory or extended maternity leave and 2 (2 w.t.e.) on sick leave. These staff, as is the normal practice in the system, are not replaced but schools affected by the absence of their assigned psychologist are afforded assessment services through the above mentioned SCPA scheme and emergency consultation cover by psychologist staff in the local or regional office.

I can inform the Deputy that the average salary paid to a NEPS psychologist is currently €78,853 and append for his information the pay-scales currently applicable to the grades of psychologist within NEPS in the following table.

Established Numbers of Educational Psychologists Employed in NEPS

By Region

NEPS RegionCountW.T.E.
Dublin2523.40
Dublin/Mid Leinster2825.60
Mid-Munster2623.53
North-East1716.40
North-West/Midlands1917.80
South-East/midlands2221.33
South-West2120.40
West1817.40
No Region22.00
Grand Total178167.86
Note: Numbers at 21/6/15

By Grade

GradeCountW.T.E.
Director11.00
Regional Director77.00
Senior Psychologist3937.53
Psychologist131122.33
Grand Total178167.86

Current Pay-scales for NEPS Psychologists by Grade

NEPS Grades
Regional Director€84,233€86,144€88,065€89,972€91,405€94,184€96,963
Regional Director (PPC)€88,440€90,452€92,470€94,479€95,990€98,917€101,839
Senior Psychologist€74,035€75,733€77,406€79,068€80,721€81,353
€83,834€86,318
Senior Psychologist (PPC)€77,751€79,495€81,251€83,003€84,745€85,409
€88,018€90,631
Educational Psychologist€53,984€56,326€58,654€60,963€63,867€65,000
€68,132€71,854€74,880€77,182€79,459
Educational Psychologist (PPC)€56,789€59,246€61,701€64,128€65,000€67,729
€71,593€75,517€78,619€81,013€83,414

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