Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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210. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the average time between referral for assessment and report completion for children assessed by the National Educational Psychology Service for each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37324/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that the average time in days between the referral for assessment of a student to my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service and the furnishing of a formal report to Parents and School Authorities was for 2011/12, 78 days; 2012/13, 80 days; 2013/14, 73 days; 2014/15, 75 days; and 2015/16, 66 days. This data is derived from the NEPS Casetrack system which records short-hand details of NEPS psychologist pupil referrals.

I can also inform the Deputy that these time differentials do not accurately reflect the gap in time between the raising of a referral and the provision of advice and support to the school and parents on the concerns raised in relation to children undergoing assessment. This in fact is usually imparted much earlier through post assessment feedback followed by a later provision of a formal written report.