JACK CHAMBERS HAS been appointed as Ireland’s new Minister for Finance. 

The Dáil voted to formally nominate the Fianna Fáil TD to take over the position from Michael McGrath by a margin of 86 to 60 this afternoon. 

Chambers then received his seal of office from President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin this evening. 

The Dublin West TD moves up the ranks after outgoing Finance Minister McGrath was nominated as the country’s next European Commissioner yesterday.

During a session of the Dail today, the leaders of the three governing coalition parties praised the outgoing McGrath and congratulated Chambers on his new appointment. 

Taoiseach Simon Harris congratulated Chambers and said he looks forward to working closely with him in his role as Finance Minister.

Harris said McGrath had “worked tirelessly to improve the lives of our citizens, through careful management of our public finances” and that he had “skillfully found compromises in a three party coalition in the most challenging of circumstances”.

Táinaiste Micheál Martin said Chambers is “always completely on top of his brief” and “a constructive and focused contributor to deliberations”. 

Honoured to be appointed Minister for Finance. I want to thank @mmcgrathtd for his exceptional performance as Minister.
My focus will be to make responsible decisions to protect Ireland’s future and drive economic & social progress for people, communities & our enterprise economy pic.twitter.com/PlllttV0mb

— Jack Chambers TD (@jackfchambers) June 26, 2024

“He has distinguished himself as a committed and tireless servant of the Irish people as government chief whip during the Covid pandemic,” the Fianna Fail leader said.

“While he will indeed be the youngest person nominated to serve as Minister for Finance since Eamon de Valera nominated Michael Collins to the post in April 1919, his experience is already well beyond that of many who have held the post in the past.”

Martin also paid tribute to McGrath, who he said had, along with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe, “helped ensure that Ireland limited the economic damage of the pandemic and recovered fast and more comprehensively than most countries”.

Martin said McGrath had “ensured a balanced approach, helping to fund sustainable increases in public services and also encouraging the economic activity essential for job creation and government revenue,” in his time as Minister for Finance. 

Green Party leader and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan praised Chambers and welcomed his appointment, noting that they have had their differences while working on transport issues.

“We have had our differences,” Ryan said. “But I think that makes him really qualified for what’s to come, because we were able to overcome differences and still get on. And as Minister for Finance, more than anything else, you need to be able to say no to people.”

Ryan was also full of praise of McGrath.

“We will miss Michael McGrath dearly,” Ryan said, praising his “calm authority”. 

“We will miss him, but our whole union will benefit him being in Brussels.”

Opposition reaction

It wasn’t all praise and congratulations on the other side of the Dáil chamber today though.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was “a big day” for both Chambers and McGrath but swiftly turned to policy issues.

In the context of McGrath’s move to the EU Commission, she said Ireland must “confront and condemn” the actions of its President Ursula von der Leyen, making specific reference to her support for Israel.

In terms of Chambers’ appointment, “Everything will remain exactly the same,” she said.

“The country has had enough of Fine Gael in power and Fianna Fáil propping them up.”

She said a General Election “cannot come soon enough”, which prompted some heckles from the other side of the house.

Labour’s Ged Nash wished Chambers well and also voiced opposition to Ursula von der Leyen.

He said some of the commentary around Chambers’ age had been “patronising” but challenged him to deliver for his generation.

“You owe it to your generation to be much more radical than your predecessors,” he said.

“Don’t be a conservative, be a reformer,” he said, calling on Chambers to “dump the reckless fiscal gimmickry” of Michael McGrath’s Department of Finance and to “stop reinforcing unearned privilege”.

Social Democrat leader Holly Cairns said today was “undoubtedly a really proud day” for Chambers and his family and she empathised with him over the criticism he receives due to his age, saying she has experienced something similar.

But she then asked about the change in personnel in the Cabinet, “Will anyone outside of here notice the difference?”

She challenged Chambers to make use of the Government’s substantial budget surplus, arguing it presented him with an opportunity to bring about changes for ordinary people’s lives.

“The question is, will you take it?”

She said there is a disconnect between strong Government finances and the reality of people struggling with rent and other costs. This is making people “disillusioned”, she said, urging Chambers not to go for a “giveaway” budget in October.

People Before Profit’s Richard Boyd Barrett said he was worried by the discourse around McGrath’s nomination referring to “horse-trading” around re-electing von der Leyen as Commission President, who he said is “complicit in genocide”. 

He also criticised the Government’s handling of the RTÉ financial crisis, saying that the burden had fallen on ordinary workers.

“They’re asking workers in RTE to pay the bill,” Boyd Barrett said.

PBP’s Mick Barry said: “Jack Chambers is cut from the same political cloth. He will deliver the same old, same old.”

First day on the job

Chambers, the TD for Dublin West, is to travel to Arás an Uachtaráin where he will receive his seal of office from President Michael D Higgins.

Chambers, who has never led a ministry, will be straight into budget planning, with the summer economic statement due to be published shortly. 

Work begins straight away for the new minister, with Chambers due to meet with Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe later today. 

Donohoe told the minister that he is going to have a “great working relationship” with Chambers, stating that they will deliver the final budget.

It is understood that Chambers replacement in the super junior ministerial role in the Department of Transport and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications could be announced tomorrow. 

A number of names in the mix include Dara Calleary, Thomas Byrne and Mary Butler. A vacancy will then be available in a junior ministry, allowing someone from the backbenches to move up the ladder.

James Lawless and Niamh Smyth have been mentioned as possibilities. 

McGrath will sit in the backbenches until his new position becomes clear in Europe and the Commission sits in the autumn.  

With reporting from David Mac Redmond