My Department has arrangements in place with two credit card companies to issue charge cards to officials who travel on official business on a regular basis. This facility is available to staff as an alternative to using their personal credit cards for official business purposes. The charge cards are generally used to cover costs such as hotel accommodation and train fares. At present, 57 staff of my Department hold charge cards under this arrangement, although some staff continue to use their personal credit cards for business related transactions.
Staff who are issued with charge cards under the arrangement outlined above hold individual accounts with the issuing credit card company. They are responsible for clearing the amounts incurred on their accounts, including any interest charged. Therefore, my Department does not directly incur costs in relation to purchases or interest on credit or charge cards. Staff are entitled to reclaim travel, subsistence and other official expenses from my Department in accordance with civil service regulations. Expenses of this nature are paid directly to the officers concerned who may use the refunds to settle their credit card accounts.
My Department pays Government Stamp Duty on credit cards used for official transactions. The total cost of Stamp Duty paid on credit cards from 2000 to the present in 2007 is set out on the table. The amounts on the table include some costs associated with the processing of Stamp Duty payments.
Year
|
Amount
|
|
€
|
2000
|
€1,923.65
|
2001
|
€2,418.85
|
2002
|
€2,166.00
|
2003
|
€3,815.00
|
2004
|
€4,761.74
|
2005
|
€6,697.74
|
2006
|
€4,700.00
|
2007 to date
|
€3,896.82
|