The Fiscal Council welcomes New Chair, New Council Member and Re-appointment of Existing Council Member

4th January 2017

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (the Fiscal Council) welcomes the appointment of Seamus Coffey as the new Chair of the Fiscal Council effective from 1 January 2017. Mr. Coffey is a serving Member of the Council and is well placed to strengthen the role of the Fiscal Council as an independent body responsible for the assessment of official budgetary forecasts and proposed fiscal policy objectives. Mr. Coffey replaces outgoing Chair, Professor John McHale, whose leadership since the Fiscal Council’s inception in July 2011 has been central to establishing the Fiscal Council’s independence and in helping to build its analytical capacity.

The Fiscal Council also welcomes the appointment of Martina Lawless as a new member of the Fiscal Council and the re-appointment of Sebastian Barnes for a further four-year term, with both appointments effective from 1 January 2017.