Public appointment: Members reappointed to the Scottish Fiscal Commission

The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced the reappointment of Francis Breedon and David Ulph as Members of the Scottish Fiscal Commission.

Members

Francis Breedon is Professor of Economics and Finance at Queen Mary University of London where his research focuses mainly on financial markets and macro-economic policy. He has broad economic policy and forecasting experience including as a senior economist at the Bank of England. He has been involved in a number of policy reviews and is currently a member of the Fiscal Policy Panel for the States of Jersey.

David Ulph is Professor Emeritus in the School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews having been Professor of Economics there between 2006 and January 2021, and Director of the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE) between 2010-2017. His research covers a wide range of issues relating to public policy, including the design and performance of taxes and benefits. From 2001-2006 he was Chief Economist and Director of Analysis at HM Revenue and Customs (initially Inland Revenue) where, amongst other things, he was personally accountable for the forecasts of all UK tax revenues, and the measurement of UK National Income. From 2015-2021 he was a member of the NHS Pay Review Body. In 2017 he was appointed as a member of the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

Reappointment

The reappointments will be for four years and will run from 8 October 2022 to 7 October 2026.

The reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The reappointments are part-time and attracts a remuneration of £343.92 per day for a time commitment of 1.5 days per week.

Other ministerial appointments

Francis Breedon and David Ulph do not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

Francis Breedon and David Ulph have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Scottish Fiscal Commission is a Non-Ministerial Office – this means we are part of the Scottish Administration but not part of the Scottish Government ensuring our operational independence.

We are directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the delivery of our functions which were set out in the Scottish Fiscal Commission Act 2016.

The Commission must produce two reports each financial year forecasting Scottish GDP, income from devolved taxes and expenditure on devolved social security benefits. Our forecasts inform the Scottish Budget and assist in the scrutiny of fiscal events. The Commission also provides an assessment of the reasonableness of the Government’s borrowing projections. In 2023 we will produce a report on the long-term sustainability of the Scottish Government’s public finances.