Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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152. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he is satisfied that a purpose built school (details supplied) for pupils with a moderate, severe or profound general learning disability, including pupils with autism within these categories, has sufficient access to the NEPS services, including in-services training and school support; the steps he will take to rectify this inequality and ensure that the 15 teachers and 32 SNAs have access and equality to in-service training and school support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17241/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I can inform the Deputy that my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has not extended service to special schools, including that to which the Deputy refers in his question, who traditionally received multi-disciplinary services, including psychology from HSE services or bodies funded by the HSE.

I can also inform the Deputy that the school in question has been afforded access to the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessment, a panel of Private practitioners maintain and paid for by NEPS providing assessment services to schools.  The school has accessed this provision to some small extent over the past number of years.

In-service training for teachers in special schools is provided by the Special Education Support Service (S.E.S.S.) now part of the N.C.S. E. Support Service.