“Prisons are in an ongoing state of crisis. Our members are trying to manage this on a daily basis, and all the figures are in an upward trajectory across all the various headings," The deputy general secretary of the Prison Officers Association said.

New measures have been announced that will help householders availing of the Enhanced Defective Concrete Block Scheme to also access grants from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to improve the energy performance of their homes.