Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Dec 1999

Vol. 512 No. 6

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

377 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science the constituencies into which he has appointed educational psychologists for primary schools since coming into office; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26651/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

Very soon after I took up office in 1997 I realised that there was a need to expand my Department's psychological service in order to meet demand. There was a need to increase the level of support at second level and to extend it to the primary sector. I immediately set up a planning group, representative of the partners in education, which reported to me during the second half of 1998.

Pending the preparation of the report, my Department engaged in a joint project with Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick, whereby 15 primary teachers, who were also qualified psychologists, were recruited in order to work in the primary sector. The 15 psychologists were selected by competition and were employed on three-year contract, beginning in 1998. Each psychologist was assigned to a substantial centre of population as near as possible to their home base.

dt9,9>Compact clusters of between 20 and 30 schools in and around the following centres were assigned to the psychologists:

Bray/Wicklow	Leixlip/Lucan
Castlebar/Ballina	Naas/Newbridge
Clonmel	Nenagh
Cobh/Midleton	Sligo
Drogheda	Swords
Dunshaughlin/Trim	Tralee
Ennis/Shannon	Tullamore/Birr
Galway

I am aware that there are still substantial centres of population that do not yet have access to an educational psychological service for primary schools. However, the expansion of the National Educational Psychological Service Agency – NEPS – has now begun. Areas where there is currently no provision accorded priority within the overall development plan of NEPS.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

378 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Education and Science when he will appoint educational psychologists to the primary sector; if at least one of these will be appointed to the Waterford constituency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26652/99]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

At present approximately 700 primary schools have access to a psychologist through the National Educational Psychological Service Agency – NEPS.

The expansion of the NEPS is now beginning. Interviews for 25 new psychologists have recently been completed and it is hoped that the new appointees will take up their positions early in the new year. Interviews for a further 25 psychologists are scheduled to begin during the first half of January 2000.

I am committed to the development of a quality educational psychological service that will adequately meet the needs of our children and young people. It is essential, therefore, that the expansion of NEPS should proceed in a phased, orderly and equitable way.

The overall allocation of psychologists to the regions will be based on the projected student numbers in each. In the interests of equity, it is proposed that each cohort of newly recruited psychologists will be distributed equally among the regions, including the South-Eastern Region, until each has reached its target number. Within each region and within each county, the priorities for expansion will be agreed by NEPS in consultation with local interests, including other pro viders of psychological services and the main client groups.

The management team in NEPS has been collecting relevant data about each county and will supplement this with local discussions, beginning immediately after Christmas. Such discussions will be arranged with local interests in the city and county of Waterford. It is likely that areas with a high level of disadvantage will be identified as priorities in the initial expansion phase.