NEWLY ELECTED MEP Clare Daly has hired the son of European Parliament colleague Mick Wallace as one of her parliamentary assistants. 

Fionn Wallace, the son of Independent MEP and close Daly ally Mick Wallace, is currently listed on the European Parliament website as one Daly’s three accredited assistants. 

Under EU rules, MEPs are not allowed to employ close relatives. The maximum monthly allowance for recruiting parliamentary assistants is €24,943. 

Speaking to Euro Parl Radio , following a report by the Irish Independent, Daly defended the decision to hire Fionn: “I’m very happy to stand over the credentials of all of them.”

“They’re all highly qualified for the job and in the case of Fionn Wallace, I’m lucky to get him,” she said. Praising his “great track record”, Daly said: “I consider myself fortunate in all of the people I’ve employed. They’re the best people for the job and the conditions for the job were set by others not by me.”

As an “accredited” assistant, Fionn Wallace is employed directly by the European Parliament and will work in either Brussels, Luxembourg or Strasbourg. 

Neither Daly or Wallace have responded to requests for comment from TheJournal.ie. 

Both Wallace and Daly were elected to the European Parliament in May. Wallace, who only decided to run at the last moment, was elected in the Ireland South Constituency while Daly was elected in Dublin. 

Fionn Wallace has previously worked as a director of his father’s Wallace Calcio Limited wine bar and restaurant business.