A round-up of other stories in brief.

Use of laser cards up 26% in six months

Laser card usage increased by 27 per cent in the second half of 2006, compared to the second half of 2005, with the value of transactions increasing 31 per cent year- on-year, according to figures issued by Laser Card Services.

By the end of 2006, 99 million Laser card transactions worth more than €7 billion were carried out in more than 50,000 retail outlets. The number of people who hold Laser debit cards also increased 25 per cent last year.

Laser Card Services, which is part of the Irish Payments Services Organisation (IPSO), attributed the upsurge in Laser usage to more Irish consumers realising that the cards can be used as a valid "cash replacement".

Laser, which is the Irish debit card scheme, must become compliant with the Single Euro Payments Area (Sepa) set of standards for electronic payments over the next few years or align itself with international brands such as Visa's debit scheme or MasterCard's Maestro.

AA to sell variable car loans

AA Ireland is to sell car loans with variable interest rates starting from 7.5 per cent, following its move into the financial services market. The loans, which are available to both AA members and non-members, will include a 20 per cent discount on an AA vehicle inspection.

AA public affairs manager Conor Faughnan said: "This year is shaping up to be a bumper year for car sales and it seems likely that 600,000 people will buy a new or second-hand car.

"Consequently there are a lot of car dealers competing for business, so customers are in a position to drive a hard bargain."

Vivas offers child policy discounts

Vivas Health is offering a 50 per cent discount on children's policies for February as part of its bid to sweep up consumers who have used the confusion about the future of Bupa to examine their health insurance options.

The promotion will be available to new customers and to existing Vivas customers whose policies fall for renewal on February 26th.

Vivas said a family of two adults and two children could save €458.

The 50 per cent off deal is available on all of Vivas Health's core hospital plans and applies to all children under 18 and to students and apprentices up to the age of 23.

Contributors to PRSAs

Figures from the Pensions Board show that only one in eight employers who has designated a provider of personal retirement savings accounts (PRSAs) have employees contributing to the scheme.

Some 80,463 employers have appointed a PRSA provider in compliance with pensions law; however employees are only contributing in 10,647 cases.

A total of 35,285 employees have taken out PRSAs through their employer, out of the total of 95,045 PRSAs sold since the pensions were introduced in 2003.

Of these, almost 73,000 were standard PRSAs, where the charges are capped.

Pensions aimed at directors

A new company specialising in self- administered pensions has opened in Dundalk, Co Louth, aiming to promote the tax-efficient pensions toward company owner directors and senior employees.

Bespoke Trustees offers a set-up and administration service for self-administered pensions and has approval from the Revenue Commissioners to act as co-trustee of the pension with the investor, who retains control of the investments made under the scheme.

The company will shortly be opening its headquarters in Drogheda.