Prison Service spent €30k on spying

The Irish Prison Service (IPS) paid nearly €30,000 to two private investigation firms, it has emerged, as an investigation continues into claims that officers were tracked and monitored during covert surveillance on the country’s prisons.

The IPS has confirmed two private investigation firms were employed by the service in 2011 and 2012. Both companies were employed by the Operational Support Group of the prison service, which oversees security.