Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2017
188. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost in 2018 of recruiting an extra 30 full-time education psychologists for the national education psychologist services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41611/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments, SCPA.
The Deputy will be aware that the Programme for a Partnership Government commits that we will invest additional resources in the National Educational Psychological Service to ensure earlier intervention and access for young children and teenagers and to offer immediate support to schools in cases of critical incidents. The Programme commits to bring the total number of NEPS psychologists to 238 from the current sanctioned limit of 173. Delivery on this commitment is underway in 2017 with an additional 11 NEPS psychologists recruited or in the process of being recruited currently.
In answer to the Deputy's particular question, the direct cost of providing 30 additional NEPS psychologists would be approximately €2.25 million per annum.
