One of the country’s main homelessness campaigners has described the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland plan as “an abject failure” which exacerbated the problem it was meant to address.

Penal reformers have expressed concern over reported degrading ‘initiation’ rites for young adults in prisons, involving urination and defecation.

Legislation governing the detention of refugees in Ireland should be revamped to ensure people are not deprived of their right to liberty, it was claimed today.