Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 15 Feb 2000

Vol. 514 No. 3

Written Answers. - Psychological Service.

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

321 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the current access to educational psychologists for children in County Donegal; the plans, if any, he has to expand the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3995/00]

Cecilia Keaveney

Ceist:

322 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans, if any, he has to expand the educational psychological service to Inishowen, County Donegal, in view of the fact that the level of early school leaving has been such as to warrant a pilot scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3996/00]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods):

I propose to take Questions Nos. 321 and 322 together.

The current situation is that my Department provides a psychological service to all second level schools in County Donegal. This service has not yet been extended to primary schools in the county and I share the Deputy's concern about this matter.

However, I am now able to report some real progress towards improving the situation. The National Educational Psychological Service – NEPS – Agency was formally established on 1 September 1999. It is envisaged that all schools, both in County Donegal and nationally, will have access to the psychological service by the end of a five-year period.

The Civil Service and Local Appointments Commission is currently in the process of recruiting additional psychologists for NEPS. The process is well advanced and my Department hopes to be in a position to make offers of appointment in the near future.

The management of NEPS is collecting evidence of the level of need for a psychological service and the current availability of other psychological services, county by county, in order to set priorities for the expansion of the service. Local issues such as a high incidence of early school leaving will be included in the data being collected.