Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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180. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to increase the number of psychologists entering the workplace. [24869/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department is strongly committed to supporting the mental health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our mental health services.

The National Health and Social Care Professions Office in the HSE have advised me that the Psychology Project Team completed a report in 2021 which recommended the development of a workforce plan for psychology and the creation of a National Psychology Placement Office. Implementation of the recommendations in this report is being considered by the HSE in the context of resource requirements Implementation of the report’s recommendations and the creation of a National Psychology Placement Office are a matter for the HSE to prioritise in the context of available resources.

The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. I will ensure that there is continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.