Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a NEPS psychologist has been assigned to school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31036/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be aware my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides an educational psychological service to schools through the direct assignment of a NEPS psychologist and in some cases through by providing schools access to the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) where 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. SCPA is utilised, in the main, where as yet unfilled vacancies exist in NEPS staffing provision locally or where staffing resource is lost through extended leave (maternity, sick or carer’s leave).

I have made enquiries in the matter and can inform the Deputy that following a NEPS psychologist will be assigned to the school in question for the beginning of the new academic year.