Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The Deputies opposite are not on my horizon.

The Deputy may wish to note that credit card debt represents less than 2% of personal sector credit and less than 1% of overall private sector credit. In addition, credit card data refers to debt outstanding on all credit cards at the end of the month and includes balances that may be paid in full at the payment due date. The increase in the number of credit cards issued and the amount of debt outstanding is in line with a general trend of increased market penetration in the EU and a move towards electronic retail payment methods.

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