CIVIL SERVICE CREDIT CARDS

Senior civil servants could lose their entitlement to credit cards under a new scheme to replace them with lower limit alternatives, according to The Sunday Business Post.

The government is trialling a scheme whereby credit cards – some of which carry €25,000 credit limits – are being replaced by Low Value Purchase Cards. These have a credit limit of €5,000 and a limit of €1,000 for a single transaction.

The success of the pilot scheme in the Department of Transport has prompted the decision to dump the previous system entirely in the near future.

There are also plans to create a database for tracking expenditure patterns, highlighting any unusual purchases.

Senior civil servants use credit cards for expenses for which there is generally no need for pre-approval.