Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 2 May 2001

Vol. 535 No. 2

Written Answers - Psychological Service.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

227 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the level of access to educational psychologists for children in County Donegal; the plans he has to expand the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12437/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods):

Until the end of the year 2000, an educational psychologist employed by my Department in the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, provided a psychological service to all post-primary schools in counties Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim.

Following the decision of the Government in 1999 that NEPS should develop a psychological service that would eventually be available to all schools, my Department embarked on a programme of recruitment for NEPS. Thirty-one additional psychologists have been appointed since September 2000.

This has allowed NEPS to begin the process of expanding the psychological service in the north-west.

One of these new NEPS psychologists has now been assigned to work in the region. She has already begun work in a number of post-primary schools, and is now initiating a service to some 17 primary schools in County Donegal.

It is envisaged that when all schools in the county will have access to the NEPS service there will then be seven psychologists serving County Donegal.