I propose to take Questions Nos. 696 to 698, inclusive, together.
There are six credit cards administered by my Department. Five are held by officials and one is held by the Pensions Ombudsman. No credit cards have been issued to Ministers of my Department.
Credit cards are only issued following approval by the Department’s Accounts Branch.
The amount spent on credit cards and interest paid is detailed in tabular format:
-
|
2014
|
2015
|
Expenditure*
|
156,948.85
|
109,386.18
|
Interest Paid
|
17.51
|
2.40
|
*The yearly totals include expenditure on room booking for Decision Appeal hearings nationwide - 65% of total credit card expenditure in 2014 and 75% in 2015.
All staff members issued with cards are requested to sign a conditions form for the use of the card.
The conditions include the following control measures:
a) The card is kept safely and that it is immediately reported if the card is lost or stolen
b) The card is only used by the card holder
c) The credit limit is not exceeded
d) The card is used for official purposes only and that rules governing the expenditure involved are strictly adhered to
e) Bills are paid promptly –the necessary documentation must be submitted to the department’s Accounts Branch in order for the bill to be paid on time
f) The card is cleared of any liabilities and submitted to the department’s Accounts Branch for cancellation on moving from the job in respect of which the card is required.
Invoices and/or receipts must be provided for all expenditure, and these are sought and matched to credit card statements by my department’s Accounts Branch, who process all departmental credit card bill payments. Accounts Branch review all invoices and/or receipts and credit card statements to ensure compliance with conditions. Credit Card expenditure is controlled as set out above, and is not subject to further review at this present time.
The statutory bodies funded by the department are the Citizens Information Board, the Pensions Council, the Pensions Ombudsman and the Social Welfare Tribunal. As mentioned previously, the credit card for the Pensions Ombudsman is administered by my department. Information in relation to the other statutory bodies is set out in the following tables.
2014 Expenditure
Body
|
Cards Issued
|
Amount Spent
|
Bank Interest paid
|
Citizens Information Board
|
1
|
€2,327
|
0
|
Social Welfare Tribunal
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Pensions Council
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2015 Expenditure
Body
|
Cards Issued
|
Amount Spent
|
Bank Interest paid
|
Citizens Information Board
|
1
|
€2,919
|
0
|
Social Welfare Tribunal
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Pensions Council
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Controls
Body
|
Controls in place to monitor the issuing of credits cards
|
Controls in place to monitor the expenditure on personally held credits cards
|
Control reviews
|
Citizens Information Board
|
Credit card(s) only issued following approval of two senior CIB personnel including CEO, Chair or senior managers
|
CIB has a control policy in place to monitor the issue and use of credit cards. Controls include the raising of a Purchase Order prior to each transaction, maintenance of a transaction log which is checked monthly by the CEO and retention of all documentation associated with the purchases paid for using the card
|
Policy due to be reviewed later this year
|
Social Welfare Tribunal
|
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Pensions Council
|
|
N/A
|
N/A
|