Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 October 2004
356 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science if the National Educational Psychological Service have been instructed by her Department not to answer queries from Members of the Oireachtas; if a direction has been issued to direct all such questions to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26591/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe normal practice for answering queries from Members of the Oireachtas is that such queries are processed and replies co-ordinated through my office or that of the Minister of State. The National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, is part of my Department and consequently the same arrangement applies to queries from Members of the Oireachtas relating to NEPS.
357 Mr. Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Science the vacancies that exist in NEPS for educational psychologists at present; the way in which psychologists can make applications to NEPS in respect of any such vacancies; her further plans in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26592/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraAt present, the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS has 127 psychologists in including 67 psychologists at entry level. Five more psychologists are due to take up employment in NEPS, three in November and two others shortly thereafter.
Recruitment of permanent staff to the Department, including psychologists has, to date, been undertaken by the Office of the Civil Service and Local Appointments Commissioners, OCSLAC, under the terms of the Civil Service Commissioners Act 1956. The commissioners have provided an independent recruitment and selection service to Departments. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 was recently enacted. The OCSLAC no longer exists but has been replaced by two new bodies. The Commission for Public Service Appointments is now the regulatory body for recruitment, while the Public Appointments Service will provide a recruitment, selection and advisory service. The legislation also broadens the options to Departments and Civil Service offices by enabling them to undertake their own recruitment.
The current Civil Service Commission panel of 69 psychologists has recently been exhausted and discussions regarding a new panel will commence shortly. Further recruitment of psychologists to NEPS will depend on the availability of resources and must also take account of Government policy on public sector numbers.
Pending the expansion of NEPS to cover all schools, those that are not yet served may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessment, SCPA. The SCPA is an interim measure and was specifically introduced to minimise delays for those children who need to be assessed. Under this scheme, individual psychological assessments may only be administered by psychologists whose names appear on a panel compiled by NEPS. Psychologists on the panel are private practitioners who have satisfied NEPS that they are graduate members of the Psychological Society of Ireland or the British Psychological Society; that they are registered or chartered psychologists or, if not, that they have at least one year's supervised experience of administering psychological tests to children; that they have obtained Garda clearance; and that their tax affairs are in order.
