McSweeney move - Doctorate debacle will follow him

Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin’s announcement on behalf of the Government raises even more questions than it answers.

He stated that the chief science adviser Barry McSweeney is leaving his current position to take up a position as research coordinator within the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.

It was significant that nowhere in the announcement is Barry McSweeney given the title of doctor, which was used to announce his initial appointment.

Tánaiste Mary Harney announced “Dr” McSweeney’s appointment last year, but there was no mention of that doctorate on his new appointment yesterday.

What a difference a year makes!

Barry McSweeney became embroiled in controversy some weeks ago with the disclosure that his doctoral degree was from an unaccredited institution in the United States - Pacific Western University. It did not function in the educational sense; it merely sold so-called degrees and has been branded a “degree mill”.

While he acquired professional experience that probably qualified him to act as a science adviser to the Government, questions must be asked about how he obtained that experience. Did he use the bogus doctorate to get his position at the European Commissions’ Joint Research Centre? But even more questions must be asked about how he got the €120,000-a-year job as chief science adviser without any public competition. He was recommended by British Commissioner Neil Kinnock, but was the job just made for Mr MacSweeney?

Yesterday’s announcement baldly stated that he was being moved to the new position of research coordinator at the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. There was no mention of the reasons for his departure, in spite of the intense public commentary in past weeks.

His transfer would seem to suggest that his previous appointment was not appropriate, but now he has been appointed to another position that has not been advertised either. This is not the way to do business with public money.

Having fouled up once the Government would seem to have just turned around and done the same thing again.

There was no previous public indication that such a post was even needed.

Such public positions should be advertised and the appointments only made after public competition.

The current controversy has not been resolved. It will inevitably follow him into his new position, where his role in progressing research and development priorities in energy, marine, digital and geoscience may be seriously compromised.

Is Mr McSweeney just being moved to the new post to save the Government embarrassment? Such an appointment is supposed to be about public service, not coving up Government ineptitude.