Press release
Minister Noonan makes appointments to the Fiscal Advisory Council
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, has appointed Seamus Coffey as Chairperson of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council.
Mr. Coffey is a serving Member of the Fiscal Council; his appointment is effective from 1 January 2017.
Mr. Coffey is replacing Professor John McHale as Chairperson of the Fiscal Council.
The Minister has also appointed Martina Lawless as a new member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. Ms. Lawless’ appointment, following an open selection process, is for a period of four years with effect from 1 January 2017.
Mr. Sebastian Barnes has been reappointed to the Council by Minister Noonan. Mr. Barnes, a serving Member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council Member, is re-appointed for a further four-year term from 1 January 2017.
Speaking about the appointments, the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan TD, said:
“I congratulate Mr. Seamus Coffey on his appointment as Chairperson of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. I also welcome the appointment of Ms. Martina Lawless and the re-appointment of Mr. Sebastian Barnes as Members of the Fiscal Council. I wish them well in these important roles.”
“I also wish to express my appreciation to the outgoing Chairperson of the Council, Professor John McHale, who has served in the role since the Council’s establishment in 2011. Under Professor McHale’s stewardship, the Council has established itself as a well-known and independent voice on fiscal affairs.”
ENDS
Further information from:
Details on the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, including board members, are available at www.fiscalcouncil.ie.
Mr. Seamus Coffey is on sabbatical from his position as Lecturer in Economics in University College Cork. He has written and presented extensively across a broad range of topics relating to the performance and management of the economy. A lot of his work has focused on the fiscal side of the Irish economy including examining budgetary outturns, determining effective tax rates, analysing fiscal rules and exploring their possible consequences for Ireland. Mr Coffey holds a Masters Degree in Economic Science and a Bachelor of Commerce, both from University College Cork.
Ms Martina Lawless is an Associate Research Professor in the Economic and Social Research Institute, where she leads the Tax and Macroeconomy Research Programme. She previously worked in the Irish Economic Analysis Department of the Central Bank of Ireland. Ms Lawless holds a Ph.D. (Economics) from Trinity College and a Masters (Economics) from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Her appointment to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council is for a 4-year term effective from 1 January 2017.
Mr. Sebastian Barnes is Economic Counsellor to the Chief Economist of the OECD and former head of its EU desk. He joined the OECD in 2005 from the Bank of England. He holds a MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics, a master’s degree in European Political Economy from the College of Europe (Bruges), and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. Following his appointment to the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council when it was first created in July 2011, Mr. Barnes is re-appointed for a further 4-year term effective from 1 January 2017.
The selection process, following which Ms Lawless is appointed, was undertaken in accordance with the “Guidelines for appointments to state boards” published by the government in November 2014.
The process was managed by the Public Appointments Service, and the vacancy was advertised on Stateboards.ie.