I appoint members to the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) in accordance with the provisions of the National Economic and Social Development Office Act 2006. The legislation provides for nominations from five sectors - business and employer, ICTU, farming and agricultural, community and voluntary, and environmental. I also appoint up to 6 public servants and 8 independent members.
All appointments to the Council with the exception of a small number of independent members have been made. Arrangements to fill the remaining vacancies are being put in place, and will follow the process set out in the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards.
The members of the Council are:
Business and Employer
Maeve McElwee, IBEC
Tom Parlon, CIF
Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland
ICTU
Patricia King, ICTU
Tom Geraghty, PSEU
Shay Cody, IMPACT
Farming and Agricultural*
Damien McDonald, IFA
John Enright, ICMSA
TJ Flanagan, ICOS
Community and Voluntary
Sean Healy, Social Justice Ireland
Brid O’Brien, INOU
James Doorley, NYCI
Environmental
Kate Ruddock, Friends of the Earth
Oonagh Duggan, Birdwatch Ireland
Michael Ewing, Irish Environmental Network
Public Servants
Martin Fraser, Secretary General, D/Taoiseach (Chair)
Elizabeth Canavan, Assistant Secretary General, D/Taoiseach (Deputy Chair)
Derek Moran, Secretary General, D/Finance
Robert Watt, Secretary General, D/Public Expenditure and Reform
Orlaigh Quinn, Secretary General, D/Business, Enterprise and Innovation
John McCarthy, Secretary General, D/Housing, Planning and Local Government
Independent Experts
Edgar Morgenroth, ESRI
Michelle Norris, UCD
Philip Hamell, Department of the Taoiseach.
*nominations were received this month and the appointment process is underway.