Written answers

Tuesday, 8 July 2014

Department of Finance

Financial Services Regulation

Photo of Robert DowdsRobert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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172. To ask the Minister for Finance the protection that is available to prevent children from undertaking credit card transactions on the internet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29250/14]

Photo of Robert DowdsRobert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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173. To ask the Minister for Finance the special precautions that are taken to prevent children purchasing virtual enhancements for games on the internet, mobile phones or games consoles. [29251/14]

Photo of Robert DowdsRobert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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174. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will agree to open discussions with banking institutions to see if arrangements could be put in place to prevent children undertaking credit card transactions on the internet without parental approval. [29252/14]

Photo of Michael NoonanMichael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 to 174, inclusive, together.

Neither I nor the Central Bank have the primary role in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy. I would expect that parents have in place arrangements for the use of credit cards and Visa debit cards held in their name. I would also expect that these arrangements are reviewed from time to time, the use of these cards monitored and bills checked.

On the issue more generally, all credit and visa debit cards have terms and conditions attaching them and the cards must be used in accordance with those terms and conditions. These conditions would include:-

- keeping the PIN number secret and keeping the card secure,

- not letting a third party use the card or the PIN. The cardholder is liable for the payment of all transactions carried out by an authorised user regardless of the ability of that authorised user or whether the person is a minor or not as if the transactions had been personally carried out by the cardholder,

- many companies which require payment by credit or visa debit card will require the purchaser to use a password which should be known only to the owner of the card.

The Deputy may wish to draw his concerns to the attention of the Irish Payment Services Organisation Ltd.

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