989. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question Number 629 of 20 October 2015, the reason her Department's website does not make reference to the cumulative number of days required for a course under the vocational training opportunities scheme, contrary to the answer received in the previous parliamentary question; and since there are a number of education and training boards who also make reference to six months unemployment as eligibility criteria, and not the accurate information of 156 days, her plans to ensure that all such boards provide the number of cumulative days needed, as the current situation is causing a lot of distress to vulnerable people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38124/15]

The six month unemployed requirement specified in relation to the VTOS programme is predicated on the person having been unemployed during this entire period. To facilitate people who may have been working part time, the six month qualifying period, which is 156 days, can be accumulated within a period of 52 weeks subject to certain conditions. This information is available on my Department's website through the 'VTOS Handbook and Frequently Asked Questions' document. ETBs refer to this document in advising potential VTOS participants on eligibility criteria.

In order to ensure clarity in relation to the qualifying period the learner page on my Department's website has been amended to include the reference to the accumulated 156 days.