Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 328: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the amount of interest paid by him in respect of the late payments for goods or services contracted by his Department for the past five years to date in 2009; the steps being taken to ensure that money is appropriately spent and that payments are made on time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25858/09]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Interest charges paid by my Department in respect of late payments for goods or services from 2004 to end-May 2009 are set out in the table below:

There is an internal reporting system in my Department in relation to the prompt payment of accounts. This is acted upon on an ongoing basis so that individual cases can be highlighted in advance and appropriate action taken.

I can confirm to the Deputy that over 99% of payments are made by my Department within the required timeframe and that our accounts function is closely monitored so as to ensure that this high level of compliance is maintained and any interest payments kept to a minimum.