Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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303. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the first- and full- year cost of increasing the number of educational psychology students to include ten more students. [42391/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Currently University College Dublin (UCD) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), Limerick offer programmes for those who wish to qualify as an Educational Psychologist. Matters relating to the number of students on the programme and the associated costs are a matter for the colleges and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science.

In relation to workforce planning for the recruitment of educational psychologists, my Department has been actively exploring opportunities to increase the numbers of suitably qualified staff to strengthen the response to the educational psychological needs of children and young people in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country. Since January 2023, NEPS has supported bursaries for Trainee Educational Psychologists who are enrolled in the University College Dublin Professional Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Mary Immaculate College Limerick’s Professional Doctorate in Educational and Child Psychology. Those in receipt of a bursary commit to joining NEPS upon graduation. There are over 74 Trainee Educational Psychologists in receipt of a bursary who are expected to join NEPS upon graduation including 14 who joined in September 2024.

The Deputy may be interested to know that the current funding supports available under the scheme to each student while training to become an educational psychologist come to a maximum sum of €40,000 for each of the three academic years of study. Additionally, the Public Appointments Service commenced a recruitment campaign for Educational Psychologists at the end of 2023 and successful candidates from that panel are currently taking up positions in NEPS. It is expected that a further recruitment competition will be commenced by the Public Appointments Service early in 2025 and planning for this competition is already underway within the Department.