The questions facing Jack Chambers as he begins new role

Jack Chambers takes up his new job as Minister for Finance brimming with qualifications.

Except none of them are of the economic or business variety.

That is not uncommon though for the minister leading the department which looks after the State’s money.

The 33-year-old does have multiple qualifications in both law and medicine.

Crucially, he has demonstrated the political skill to overtake more senior and experienced party figures to land one of the top Government posts.

This was achieved under a leader keen on the concept of TDs serving lengthy apprenticeships.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin clearly trusts Dublin West TD.

Yes, Mr Chambers has been sitting at the Cabinet table for four years, but this role is his first fully fledged senior ministry.

With it comes the responsibility of crafting and delivering a pre-election budget.

It is a budget where each party leader will desperately want to carve out concessions to stitch into their election manifestos.

This raises the following questions, will Mr Chambers be assertive enough keep a lid on these demands?

Will he be able to see down calls from colleagues who might privately believe they should have been promoted ahead of him?

Can he form a good and equitable working relationship with Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe, the now veteran politician of the Department of Finance?

Plus, can he quickly adapt to the high tempo and well-informed questioning style of Sinn Féin’s long serving Finance Spokesperson Pearse Doherty?

And will Mr Chambers be able to fend off lobby groups eager to get their imprint on his first budget?

The answers will be known in just over three months, and they will likely define this key period in Mr Chambers’ political career.