Departmental Expenditure

Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016

Friday, 16 September 2016

Questions (1945, 1946)

Dara Calleary

Question:

1945. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of credit cards issued to staff working in each State agency funded by his Department, in tabular form; the number of cards per funded agency; the amount spent by credit card in 2014 and 2015 by each agency; the amount of bank interest paid on credit cards in 2014 and 2015; the controls in place to monitor the issuing of and the expenditure on these cards; the controls in place in each agency to monitor expenditure on personally held credit card bills that are subsequently used to recoup work related expenses; if these controls are being reviewed in view of recent events in agencies funded by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24754/16]

Dara Calleary

Question:

1946. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of credit cards issued to staff working in any third party agency funded by his Department, in tabular form; the number of cards per funded agency; the amount spent by credit card in 2014 and 2015 by each agency; the controls in place to monitor the issuing of and the expenditure on these cards; the controls in place in each agency to monitor expenditure on credit card bills that are subsequently used to recoup work related expense; if these controls are being reviewed in view of recent events in agencies funded by the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24769/16]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Defence (Deputy Paul Kehoe)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1945 and 1946 together.

The Department of Defence approve the use of credit cards to members of the Defence Forces on a case by case basis. Details of these cards are set out in the following table.

2014

	Army	Air Corps	Naval Service
No of credit cards	0	9	17
Expenditure 2014	€0	€70,379.22	€161,266.44
Interest Paid 2014	€0	€0	€0

2015

	Army	Air Corps	Naval Service
No of credit cards	0	5	17
Expenditure 2015	€0	€50 , 995.82	€179,672.24
Interest Paid 2015	€0	€0	€0

The Department of Defence approve the use of credit cards to members of the Defence Forces on a case by case basis. The cardholder is obliged to certify that expenditure on the cards was incurred for official purposes only and in accordance with guidelines on the use of credit cards. Standard Operating Procedures exist with in each service which document the issue of cards, responsibilities of card holders, authorisation for spending and associated limits, maintenance of records and accounting procedures.

The Department is satisfied that these procedures ensure that an appropriate control environment is in place.