Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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325. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the value of services provided to the public by her Department and entities reporting to her Department where a payment is accepted by debit or credit card; the percentage of additional charge that is applied to such transactions under the merchant agreement; the total value of the additional charge in respect of debit and credit cards in 2012; if any portion of the additional charge accrued to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50140/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The information requested by the deputy in respect of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) and the Pensions Board is set out in the table.

Receipts by Debit and Credit Card 2012

** The Pensions Board is unable to separate credit and debit card receipts. Therefore, all card receipts are classified as credit card. Credit card fees are a combination of set monthly fees (€79.17 p.m.) and percentage of transaction value, and are paid by the Pensions Board and not passed on to the customer.

The statutory bodies operating under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection are the Pensions Board, the Citizens Information Board, the Office of the Pensions Ombudsman and the Social Welfare Tribunal. Apart from the Pensions Board the other three entities do not use debit or credit card payment facilities in respect of the provision of services.