Vol. 562 No. 3
139 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the degree to which he proposes to examine the need for psychological services in primary and post-primary schools throughout the country; his proposals to meet such needs at an early date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6045/03]
The planning group that prepared proposals for the national educational psychological service, NEPS, conducted a detailed examination of the need for psychological services in primary and post-primary schools. As a result of its findings, it recommended that 200 psychologists would be needed, of whom about 180 would be in NEPS and the remainder elsewhere in the educational system. The planning group also recommended that this target should be achieved over a period of five years, beginning during the school year 1999-00. The Government made a decision in early 1999 that these recommendations should be implemented.
NEPS has been charged with the responsibility of developing and providing an educational psychological service to primary and post-primary schools. The new NEPS agency came into existence on 1 September 1999 with the 43 psychologists already employed in my Department. NEPS has been expanding gradually on a national basis over the past few years in accordance with the Government's decision. The recruitment of additional psychologists involved the organisation in competitions over the last few years through the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission and there are now 120 psychologists in NEPS. Recruitment is set to continue until the target number of staff has been achieved.
During this development phase, those schools that do not yet have direct access to a psychological service from NEPS can avail of the Scheme for Commissioning Private Assessments, SCPA, which NEPS administers, pending the full expansion of the NEPS service to all schools.
