Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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92. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of educational psychologists working in NEPS to date. [39860/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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NEPS provides educational psychological support to all primary, post-primary, and special schools.

NEPS provides all schools with:

• psychological support in the event of a Critical Incident,
• a casework service for individual children where there is a need for intensive consultation and assessment via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments (SCPA),
• the School Staff Support and Development Service, to build school capability to provide a comprehensive continuum of support in schools,
• ongoing access to advice and support for schools, and
• an advisory service to schools where a psychologist is not available due to a vacancy.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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93. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing an additional ten educational psychologists up to a maximum of 50 educational psychologists. [39861/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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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 where there is need via a NEPS psychologist.

The estimated average full year salary costs to recruit:

• 10 additional psychologists for the National Educational Psychological Service is €998,617.50
• 20 additional psychologists for the National Educational Psychological Service is €1,997,235
• 30 additional psychologists for the National Educational Psychological Service is €2,995,852
• 40 additional psychologists for the National Educational Psychological Service is €3,994,470
• 50 additional psychologists for the National Educational Psychological Service is €4,993,087