The high-profile Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has come under fire from another committee for straying beyond its remit and inquiring into areas in the prison services.

The farce is that the increasing number of indelibly marked bodies are essentially the same, writes Gerard Howlin

Hopes of a grand coalition between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil lay in ruins last night, meaning a second general election this year is now almost certain.