Last month, the Irish Prison Service (IPS) confirmed in response to a Freedom of Information request that it paid comedy duo, The 2 Johnnies €24,600 (incl VAT) for the sponsored podcast.

The advance outline was sent to one of Mr Harris’ advisers ahead of the Taoiseach’s appearance on the podcast in November, just days before the general election was called

Taoiseach Simon Harris was the latest guest on The 2 Johnnies Podcast, hosted by comedians Johnny 'Smacks' McMahon and 'Johnny B' O'Brien