Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 203: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of credit cards issued for departmental use to Ministers, Ministers of State or others; the person or persons authorised to use such cards; the circumstances in which use is permissible; the number of occasions on which they have been used in the life of the Government; the purpose of such use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2280/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The information that the Deputy has sought is as follows: Three credit cards have been issued and authorised for use by:

1. The private secretary to the Minister for Education and Science

2. The private secretary to the Minister of State

3. The principal officer, IT unit, Department of Education and Science. The cards are authorised for official use only and have been used exclusively for this purpose. They are normally used where the only method of payment accepted is credit card. Details of usage are as follow:

Card No. 1. 23 occasions

Card No. 2. 15 occasions

These have been used in the main to meet subsistence and hospitality expenses associated with official duties.

Card No. 3. Nine occasions

This has been used to purchase IT equipment and services in circumstances where (a) the supplier cannot invoice the Department of Education and Science, (b) the supplier requires payment in advance of supplying the goods and the goods are required urgently, (c) the only method of payment accepted by the supplier is credit card and (d) the goods are required immediately. For the period June 2002 to mid-2004, the card was also used to pay a monthly charge for a computer based fax service.