The Irish Prison Service has revealed €80,760 was spent on providing television for prisoners in 2018.

This was a drop on the previous year, when €83,357 was given so prisoners could watch digital TV.

The Irish Prison Service has said all prisoners have some access to digital TV.

Multi-channel services are provided to prisoners in recreational areas and in their cells.

"Prisoners have access to free-to-air channels in their cells and some access to premium channels like Sky Sports in the recreational areas of enhanced landings", the prison service added.

A daily rate of 15c per day is deducted for in-cell television services.

But it said that changes in the annual costs are largely due to "fluctuations in prisoner numbers."

The Irish Prison Service explained: "Following the introduction of TVs, the incidents of self-harm and suicide dramatically dropped in our prisons, prisoners serving sentences are very much isolated from society and access to televisions, radios and newspapers are important to help prisoners keep connected with society and their communities.

"In addition, they also provide entertainment when locked in their cells."

However, a detailed breakdown of the amount spent by the Irish Prison Service on individual TV channels is not available.

It said this would involve "the manual examination of a considerable amount of records."

"Such an examination would require a disproportionate and inordinate amount of staff time and resources", it added.

Main image: Two inmates watch television in a cell decorated with the branch of a Christmas tree in a prison in Germany | Image: David Ebener/DPA/PA Images