Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 12 Feb 1998

Vol. 487 No. 2

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. Martin)

There are 39 psychologists attached to the Department of Education and Science, of whom two are on career break and two are job sharing. They are deployed as follows:

Drogheda	One psychologist serving primary schools designated as disadvantaged in Dublin 15 and post-primary schools in County Louth and north County Dublin;
Dublin	19 pscyhologists, serving primary schools designated as disadvantaged in Dublin city, and all post-primary schools in Dublin city and county, excluding those served by the psychological services of the city and county Dublin vocational education committees and in Counties Carlow, Cavan, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, North Tipperary, Westmeath and Wicklow—
Tullamore	one psychologist serving post-primary schools in Counties north Tipperary, Offaly and Roscommon;
Wexford	one psychologist serving post-primary schools in Counties Wexford and Waterford;
Galway	three psychologists, serving post-primary schools in Counties Clare, Galway, Mayo and north Tipperary;
Sligo	one psychologist, serving post-primary schools in Counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo;
Cork	seven psychologists, serving primary schools designated as disadvantaged in Cork city, primary schools in south Tipperary and post-primary schools in Counties Cork, Kerry, Limerick, south Tipperary and Waterford;
Clonmel	one psychologist serving primary schools in south Tipperary and
Limerick	one psychologist serving primary schools designated as disadvantaged in Limerick city.

Special projects:	2 psychologists
Career break	2 psychologists

Last year I announced my intention to develop, in liaison with the health authorities, a national educational psychological service. This will be available to all primary and second level schools as well as to young people of school-going age who are outside the formal educational system. Planning for this service is well advanced. A planning group, representative of the partners in education, will report to me before the end of April of this year. The report of the planning group will be critical in planning for expansion of the psychological service.

To meet the current need for an expanded educational psychological service in the primary sector, the Department of Education and Science is jointly organising with Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick, a development project which will last for three years. Fifteen qualified psychologists are to be employed on a contract basis for the duration of the project. The selection process for these posts has now been completed. These psychologists will work in regional terms under the management of the psychological service in the Department of Education and Science, and will be taking up their duties during the current school year.