Written answers
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Department of Social Protection
Departmental Expenditure
9:00 pm
Shane Ross (Dublin South, Independent)
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Question 339: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the details of spending, using departmental credit cards held by Department staff over the past four years; the numbers of persons in her Department who hold credit cards; the credit limits of said cards; and the amount that was specifically spent by her Department on entertainment provided using said credit card. [23318/11]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently six credit cards in use by officers of the Department and one by the Pensions Ombudsman who operates under aegis of the Department and for whom the Department makes administrative payments. Details of the cardholders and the expenditure on each card for the past four years are set out in the following tables:
| Grade | Section | Company | Monthly Credit Limit | |
| 1 | Assistant Principal | Information Unit | American Express | These cards are with American Express who do not set limits on their cards |
| 2 | Pension Ombudsman | Office of the Pension Ombudsman | American Express | |
| 3 | Assistant Principal | EU International | American Express | |
| 4 | Assistant Principal | Staff Development Unit | Bank of Ireland | €5,000 |
| 5 | Private Secretary | Minister's Office | Bank of Ireland | €5,000 |
| 6 | Assistant Principal | Central Services | Bank of Ireland | €10,000 |
| 7 | Assistant Principal | Appeals Office | Bank of Ireland | €25,000 |
| Spending on DSP credit cards 2007 – 2011 to date | ||||||
| Section | 2007 (€) | 2008 (€) | 2009 (€) | 2010 (€) | 2011 to date (€) | |
| 1 | Information Unit | 453 | 282 | 443 | 266 | 277 |
| 2 | Office of the Pension Ombudsman | 1,134 | 3,054 | 2,021 | 2,033 | 876 |
| 3 | EU International | 4,858 | 6,054 | 6,039 | 105 | 0 |
| 4 | Staff Development Unit | 1,269 | 4,728 | 929 | 563 | 784 |
| 5 | Minister's Office | 451 | 618 | 3,141 | 564 | 895 |
| 6 | Central Services | 3,520 | 4,570 | 565 | 4,603 | 1,835 |
| 7 | Appeals Office* | 521 | 5,243 | 61 | 21,960 | 49,046 |
| Totals: | 12,206 | 24,549 | 13,199 | 30,094 | 53,713 |
The amount that was spent on entertainment on the Department's credit cards during this period was as follows -:
| Year | 2007 (€) | 2008 (€) | 2009 (€) | 2010 (€) | 2011 to date (€) | Total (€) |
| Amount | 4,868 | 5,027 | 1,470 | 0 | 0 | 11,365 |
The credit cards are managed so as to minimise fees and charges.
*The credit card held by the Social Welfare Appeals Office is used exclusively to pay for the hiring of rooms for appeal hearings. The increase in costs paid for by credit card over the period in question arises from a discontinuation of previous methods used to pay for room hire in favour of using the credit card. There was a corresponding reduction in costs paid by cheque etc.
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