Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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124. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of educational psychologists in posts, by county, in tabular form; the number of vacancies that are unfilled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7974/18]

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 educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the scheme for the commissioning of psychological assessments, SCPA.

I can inform the Deputy that during 2017 my Department worked actively with the Public Appointments Service, PAS, to fill 11 NEPS psychologist vacancies nationally from a recruitment panel established for this purpose and to recruit an additional 11 psychologists allowed in Budget 2017 expanding NEPS overall numbers to 184 w.t.e posts.

I can further inform the Deputy that currently, there are four vacant posts. Candidates have been identified for two of these vacancies and start dates agreed, the remaining two vacancies are being pursued with PAS.  I intend to fill these two vacancies as soon as possible.

In relation to the Deputy’s question I can clarify that NEPS psychologists are not, per se, assigned by county but work with a regional and local office structure serving the needs of schools in their immediate vicinity. I attach therefore for the Deputy’s information a breakdown of NEPS staff count, headcount and whole-time equivalent, by region and office location along with the sites of the current vacancies.

The Deputy may be aware also under the provisions of Budget 2018 that NEPS psychologist numbers will expand by another ten posts form the start of the new academic year. Plans for the filling of these posts are currently being developed by my Department.

NEPS Staffing Count by Region 14/2/2018