STAFF at the Department of the Taoiseach had credit card limits of up to €12,000 and ran up bills of more than €3,000 per month without even leaving Dublin, it has emerged.

The state credit cards were also used to buy takeaway pizza, formal dress wear, iPods and prescription medicines along with paying for accommodation at five-star hotels overseas.

Direct employees of the Taoiseach would routinely entertain clientele at Ireland's best restaurants when carrying out official business.

One staff member ran up a bill of €3,225 on his departmental credit card in the space of a month in June of 2007 without leaving the capital. The official's credit limit at the time ran to €12,000.

The bill comprised €1,328 for food at the Merrion Hotel, €340 at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, €1,130 at Diep Le Shaker restaurant and a further €426 at the Merrion.

In September 2007, another employee charged more than €2,000 to his credit card, with the statement reading like an A to Z of Ireland's best restaurants.

The splurge began on
6 Sept­­ember with a €1,085 meal at L'Ecrivain Restaurant on Baggot Street. Next day, the official dined at Town Bar & Grill with the bill coming to €230. On 14 September, a charge of €201.10 was made by the Mermaid Cafe on Dame Street with further charges at Brownes Hotel and the Merrion Hotel.

Another employee charg­ed €675.50 to his credit card in May 2007 for entertainment at the Merrion Hotel, according to his card statement.

In December 2007, one official spent more than €1,350 between two eateries in Dublin: Town Bar & Grill (€451) and L'Ecrivain Restaurant (€898).

Another meal in February 2008 at Shanahan's restaurant on St Stephen's Green cost €674 while nearly €2,000 was spent on restaurants in May of last year, including Pearl Brasserie, Unicorn Restaurant (twice) and Ely Wine Bar.

The department said the meals at L'Ecrivain and Shanahan's related to official entertainment by health minister Mary Harney while other money spent on dining came about from "official working meetings".

In the space of a month in April 2007, one department staffer ran up a bill of more than €1,351 including a €392 tab at the famous Raffles Bar in Singapore.

Another of the Taoiseach's aides visited Raffles in November 2007 running up a bill of €1,183. The delegation in question stayed at the five-star Fullerton Hotel in Singapore at a cost of more than €4,000.

On another occasion, gift vouchers worth more than €1,000 were charged to a departmental credit card in June 2007. In November 2008, a further €2,000 was charged for gift vouchers.

In June 2007, one member of staff spent nearly €700 exclusively on dining in a selection of Dublin's finest restaurants, including Rhodes D7, the Merrion Hotel, the Shelbourne Hotel and La Mere Zou.

Other items charged, including two payments of €2,687 and €1,788 for iPods, related to a schools competition.

Formal dress was regularly charged to credit cards with €78.90 paid to Black Tie in January 2008, just one of a dozen such expenses incurred by the taxpayer.

Another employee visited Boots pharmacy and paid €72 for "medicines prescribed" for a trip to South Africa at the beginning of last year. A sum of €953.46 was also paid to Medivents Ltd, a medical equipment company.

Other officials used their credit cards in Arnotts and Debenhams with one employee spending €171 at the two chain stores in February 2008 and another spending €555.70 at Arnotts in July 2008. An employee also had a charge of €342 from O'Connors jeans and €90 from Dunnes Stores.

The department said: "This was in respect of uniforms for staff. Other charges in Arnotts, Debenhams and Argos related to general kitchen items – crockery, cutlery, linens and tea towels – for use in the department.

Credit cards issued by government departments are for official purposes only. Each cardholder receives a copy of their monthly statement and is required to certify that all charges incurred are of an official nature.

"The credit limit on the majority of the departmental credit cards was reduced from €6,350 to €2,500 in January 2009," said FoI officer Amanda Reilly.

The department said: "One official had a credit limit of €12,000 to facilitate travel requirements over a specific period. The official now has a limit of €2,500. One official has a credit limit of €6,350; five officials have credit card limits of €4,000; and all of the remaining officials that have departmental credit cards have limits of €2,500."