Seamus Coffey appointed as new Chair of Irish Fiscal Advisory Council

Mr Coffey is a lecturer in the Department of Economics in University College Cork (UCC), where his writing and research focuses on the performance of the Irish economy and the public finance.

The UCC lecturer was a member of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council from 2016 and was Chair of the Council from January 2017 until December 2019. 

In October 2016, Mr Coffey was appointed as the independent expert by the Minister for Finance to undertake a review of Ireland's Corporation Tax code. He also served on the Commission on Pensions which published its report in October 2021.

Mr Coffey is a member of The National Economic and Social Council, the external advisory board to the Irish Governmental Economic Evaluation Service, and is the current president of the Irish Economic Association.

The appointment fills an ordinary member vacancy and the Chair vacancy which has been carried out by Council member, Professor Michael McMahon, since July 2023 in an acting capacity. Professor McMahon will continue to serve as an ordinary member of the Council. 

Mr Coffey’s term of office as a member of the Council begins with immediate effect for a four-year term, with the possibility of reappointment for up to two further four-year terms. His appointment as Chair begins tomorrow, August 23.

Speaking on the appointment, Mr Chambers said: “I wish to congratulate Mr Seamus Coffey on his appointment as Chair of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council. I am keenly aware of the important role that the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council plays in our budgetary process. 

"Mr Coffey brings a wealth of experience to the role of Chair and I know he will continue to ensure that the Council continues to make an important contribution to the public discourse around the many fiscal and economic challenges facing the State.

“I would also like to thank Professor Michael McMahon for stepping into the role of Acting Chair in the intervening period”.