There has been a surge in the number of prisoners put on protection for their own safety, with the sharpest rises in Mountjoy Prison and Cloverhill Remand Prison.

The Kinahan-Hutch feud is suspected of fueling a massive rise in prisoners in Mountjoy Jail seeking solitary confinement for their own protection.

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) is shelling out almost €550,000 on over 29,000 white Y-fronts, dressing gowns, polo shirts and other items of clothing for inmates.

An Irish man who was being held in custody while Spanish police sought his extradition in connection with the death of his wife on holiday nearly two years ago has been released.