Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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63. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether it is appropriate for the new educational psychologist doctoral programme in Maynooth University to depart from the standard placement procedure by not offering placements within the HSE and within NEPS only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44790/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Maynooth University is now offering a new three-year Professional Doctorate programme in Educational Psychology. Launched in September 2025 with an intake of twenty Trainee Educational Psychologists in Year 1, this programme will support a substantial increase in the number of qualified educational psychologists available to the Department of Education and Youth’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS). It marks a significant step forward on the Government’s commitment to double the number of college places for educational psychologists as outlined in the Programme for Government 2025.

The Maynooth University programme will be compliant with the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for Educational Psychologists recently published by CORU, Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. Practice placements as part of this programme will ensure that the graduate Educational Psychologists will have achieved all the Standards of Proficiency upon successful completion of an education and training programme.

The two other professional doctorate training programmes for educational psychologists in Ireland provided by UCD and MIC will also now be required to comply with the new Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training programmes for educational psychologists as set out by CORU. Previously these programmes were regulated by the Psychological Society of Ireland. CORU has not specified that practice placements for Trainee Educational Psychologists in the HSE is a requirement.

The Maynooth University graduates will enable an increase in the supply of educational psychologists available to NEPS will help to ensure the ongoing delivery of a high-quality educational psychology service to children, young people and their teachers in school communities across Ireland.