Minister Eamon Ryan has been accused of cronyism over appointments to the Climate Change Advisory Council.
The Minister picked his former advisor Professor Morgan D Bazilian and former Green Party election candidate Dr Cara Augustenborg as members of the council.
Professor Bazilian has two master's degrees and a PHD relating to energy systems while Cara Augustenborg has a doctorate in environmental science.
But Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan says their qualifications don't exempt them from having to go through a selection process.
"These people have to be able to hold the government to account, they have to say whether a minister is doing the job or not.
"There's no process, there's no paper trail, nothing.
"The Minister basically said 'I think these are the best people' with zero process.
"And it just so happens that some of those people were members of the Green Party and canvassed for the Green Party."
