Richard Bruton accused of cutting targets on psychologists

The Government has been accused of reducing its targets of providing extra psychologists to support schools’ work with students with special needs.

Fianna Fáil education spokesman Thomas Byrne said Education Minister Richard Bruton’s 2017 action plan, published this week, commits to only beginning the hiring process for 10 new staff to the National Education Psychological Service (NEPS).

This will not begin until between April and June, which he described as a delay to earlier promises on the recruitment.