Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 135: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food 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. [2278/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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The number of credit cards issued for official use within my Department is 124. These cards are issued to Ministers and officials and are for official purposes. All costs are offset against the officer's travel and subsistence entitlements or, having been duly approved, against the Department's official entertainment budget. The accounts pertaining to Ministers and senior MAC level officials are managed by the Department. In the case of all others, the monthly balances accrued are the sole responsibility of the cardholders involved.

Since June 2002, the records indicate that those cards, the accounts of which are managed by the Department, were used 456 times, with 407 transactions relating to travel expenses and 49 transactions relating to official entertainment purposes. The overall number of cards issued and the level of their use reflect the level of official travel and attendance at meetings abroad, which is part of the ongoing work of the Department.