Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 31 Jan 2002

Vol. 547 No. 2

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

178 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which school psychology services are available as required in all primary and secondary schools throughout the country; the region or regions requiring most improvement in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3065/02]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The planning group that prepared proposals for the national educational psychological service agency recommended an overall target number of 200 psychologists and 36 administrative and secretarial staff. It also recommended that this target should be achieved in a phased manner over a period of five years, beginning during the school year 1999-2000.

I launched the NEPS agency in May 2002 with the 43 psychologists already employed in my Department. The recruitment of additional psychologists involved the organisation of competitions through the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission. Notwithstanding the time consuming nature of such competitions, there are almost 100 psychologists deployed in the education sector.

The Civil Service Commission is currently at the interview stage of a second competition for the recruitment of additional psychologists. It is envisaged that many of them will be in post by the end of this school year.

I also announced recently that arrangements are being made to enable the full complement of 200 NEPS psychologists to be appointed within the next 12 months. The process of bringing the NEPS up to full strength has been accelerated and will reach 200 by the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule.

At present, all post-primary schools and approximately 1,800 primary schools have access to the NEPS service. It is envisaged that all schools will have access before the end of the school year 2002-03 and that most will have access well before that time.

The NEPS is organised in ten regions, roughly equivalent to the ten health board regions. In the draft development plan that it presented to me early in the year 2000, the management committee of the NEPS proposed that the overall number of psychologists should be shared equitably among the regions, based on the projected student numbers in each.