Almost three violent incidents occur every week in Mountjoy prison, according to figures released by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald.

She said there were 141 incidents last year, which included “a lot of minor incidents and gives an average of 2.7 incidents per week”.

The Minister compared the figures with 2012, when there were 111 incidents, and 177 in 2011. She said that of the 141 last year, 107 were prisoner assaults on prisoners and 34 were prisoner assaults on staff.

“No level of interprisoner violence is acceptable,” Ms Fitzgerald said, but huge efforts were being made to ensure Irish prisons conformed to international standards.

Prison improvements

The Minister said the “separation unit” at Mountjoy had been closed and there had been improvements in the prison, including refurbishment, structured activity and adequate out-of-cell time.

Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan, who raised the issue during Dáil justice question time, described the number of attacks as alarming, including one on a prison nurse.

The number of prisoner assaults on other prisoners is particularly alarming, Ms O’Sullivan said, adding that there had been a significant number of deaths of prisoners in custody.