Vol. 551 No. 2
550 Mr. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science the provision made by his Department to provide an educational psychologist to provide educational assessments of primary and second level students in County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10141/02]
At present, the National Educational Psychological Service Agency, NEPS, provides a psychological service to post-primary schools in County Westmeath. However, the agency does not yet have a sufficient complement of psychologists to be able to offer a full educational psychological service to all primary schools. According to the terms of the Government decision to establish NEPS, the agency is expanding its service in a phased and orderly manner as additional psychologists are recruited. The Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission is currently organising a recruitment competition for additional psychologists in NEPS. This competition is now nearing completion, and it is expected that a number of appointments will be made to the midlands region.
I am aware that many children in schools require support from educational psychologists. I have, therefore, announced recently that the expansion of NEPS will be accelerated so that all schools will have access to its service much earlier than originally planned. Meanwhile, primary schools in County Westmeath that do not yet have access to the psychological service provided by NEPS may avail of my Department's scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, full details of which are available from NEPS or from my Department's website.
