Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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267. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider introducing similar payments and supports that are currently available to clinical psychologists during their doctoral programme and while undergoing their placements, given the need for additional educational psychologists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14485/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) of my Department provides a school-based educational psychological service to all recognised primary and post-primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice to support the wellbeing, and the academic, social and emotional development of all learners.

A working group in the Department has been examining the matter of how NEPS can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified staff and continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country.

The group has agreed on a number of actions that must be taken to address supply issues in the medium to long term. These include the development of a workforce plan for educational psychologists within the Department of Education and work has begun with other Government Departments to advance this.

A number of options were considered to address some immediate supply issues. Following analysis of these, it was decided that the Department would use some available NEPS funding to sponsor a cohort of third year students of the Educational Psychology Doctoral programme in University College Dublin (UCD) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC) University of Limerick, for the current academic year 2022/23 to provide support via a contribution towards their fees and associated expenses.

The workforce planning group referred to above have been asked to make some interim recommendations in Q2 of this year regarding any other short-term measures required in advance of their final report. It is envisaged that funding supports for students on the educational psychological doctorate programme will be considered as part of this process.