Adviser’s qualifications - McSweeney must provide explanation

Fresh questions have been raised as a result of a probe by the Department of Enterprise into the status of the American doctoral degree obtained by the Government’s Chief Science Adviser, Dr Barry McSweeney.

He was appointed to the post, which has an annual remuneration of 120,000, by Tánaiste Mary Harney while she was Enterprise Minister in June 2004.

He has been embroiled in controversy since it was suggested his degree from Pacific Western University is from an unaccredited institution in the US.