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Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2014

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Questions (214, 267)

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

214. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants on the VTOS programme aged 18 to 25 years who are in receipt of the €160 per week rate introduced from January 2013; the number of participants aged 18 to 25 years on the rate prior to January 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26034/14]

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Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin

Question:

267. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants aged 18 to 25 on a VTOS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26026/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 267 together.

The VTOS programme is for unemployed adults aged 21 and over therefore there are no learners under 21 enrolled on the programme. My Department does not collect data on the age cohorts in VTOS in the format requested by the Deputy. However, statistics at the end of December 2012, which is the latest available data on learners in VTOS, show that 1,018 learners were aged 21 to 24 and 1,792 were aged 25 to 34.

Learners in VTOS who were in receipt of a Job Seekers Assistance or Job Seekers Benefit payment from the Department of Social Protection receive a training allowance equal to this amount in lieu of their Department of Social Protection payment for the duration of their VTOS course. This includes dependents allowances and any other secondary payments they are in receipt of. Those learners who were in receipt of a One Parent Family payment or a Disability Allowance continue to receive that payment from the Department of Social Protection. Training allowances are paid by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and my Department does not collect data on payments made to individual learners.

The new training allowance rate of €160 for learners up to age 26 came into effect for new learners in VTOS from 1 January 2013. As VTOS is operated on an academic year basis the new rate only applied to new learners who enrolled on a VTOS course in September 2013, the start of the academic year. Data is currently being collated by SOLAS on the 2013 enrolments in VTOS.

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