Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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15. To ask the Minister for Finance when the Fiscal Advisory Council last met and the schedule of upcoming meetings. [35725/14]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council was established on a statutory basis on the 31 December 2012 under the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2012.

The provisions of the Act took into account the common principles proposed by the European Commission concerning the role and independence of institutions responsible at national level for monitoring observance of the rules as set out in Article 3.1 of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union or the Fiscal Compact, as it is more commonly known.

In light of these, Section 8(1) of the Act stipulates that the Fiscal Council shall be independent in the performance of its functions. Paragraph 16 of the Schedule to the Act provides that the Council may regulate its own procedures.

Accordingly, the Council does not inform me of when it has held meetings or its schedule for future meetings. I can inform the Deputy that the Council's website, , does provide information regarding the dates of meetings it has held.

However, I have asked my officials to pass your request directly to the Council.