Vol. 536 No. 2
429 Mr. P. Carey asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 11, who is in receipt of unemployability supplement and is participating in a VTOS course, does not qualify for the weekly meals and travel allowance and the additional £25 weekly allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13594/01]
On the basis of the information available to my Department, the person to whom the question refers does not qualify for the vocational training opportunities scheme, VTOS. The scheme is confined to adults over 21 who are in receipt of unemployment assistance-benefit, a one-parent family payment, disability allowance-benefit or signing for credits. A person must be in receipt of one of above allowances for at least six months in order to be eligible to join VTOS. Dependent spouses of these categories are also eligible. The main objectives of VTOS are to provide unemployed people with education and training opportunities which will develop their employability.
The person in question has been allowed to take part in classes by City of Dublin VEC but is not registered as a VTOS student by the VEC. She was allowed attend classes as there was a spare place available and the Vocational Education Committee was satisfied that she was not taking up a place of an eligible student. She is in receipt of an unemployability supplement and life pension award from the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs – categories of payment which do not at present come within the scope of the VTOS programme. However, I have arranged for the matter to be reviewed by my officials in discussion with the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.
