Minister ‘not a graduate of UCC’

THE Government could be slowly falling apart by degrees ... or rather the lack of them.

Defence Minister Michael Smith was forced to admit at the weekend that his official CV contains inaccurate information about his third-level qualifications.

The Tipperary North TD does not possess a diploma in public administration from UCC although he claims to be a graduate of the college.

His predicament mirrors a similar uncertainty which arose three years ago about the academic experience of Mr Smith’s party leader, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

The latest embarrassment emerged after it was confirmed that the two-year diploma course undertaken by Mr Smith was not even certified by UCC but merely held on its campus.

UCC also failed to find any record of Mr Smith having obtained his alleged qualification following a query from a Sunday newspaper.

Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the minister, quoted in the Sunday Independent, insisted Mr Smith’s claims about his educational achievements were valid.

“Arguably it does list his education rather than his qualifications,” said the spokesperson.

“He is not claiming something he didn’t do. He has studied it, he just hasn’t received the piece of paper. He does not propose to revise his official CV,” the spokesperson added.

However, the 63-year-old politician could yet be forced to revise his resumé as it is hotly tipped his ministerial career will come to an end with the Cabinet reshuffle this autumn.

The entry relating to UCC in Mr Smith’s official CV has been removed from the Fianna Fáil website, although it still remained on the Department of Defence website yesterday.