The usage of solitary confinement in Irish prisons has been described as a "a disgrace, an outrage against human rights and a shame for the country".
Fine Gael's deputy health spokesman, Dan Neville, condemned the extensive use of cells, the figures for which were released by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in a reply to a written parliamentary question.
The statistics show that prisoners were placed in solitary confinement or padded cells 1,168 times last year and 558 times up to the end of June this year, with most usage made by Mountjoy Prison and St Patrick's Institution for young offenders.
Last year there was an average of 3,199 people detained in prison and 3,176 were held in 2003.
Last year padded cells were used 401 times in Mountjoy, 27 times fewer than in 2003 and 228 times up to June this year.
In St Patrick's Institution, padded and strip cells were used 221 times last year, compared to 178 times in 2003 and 80 times this year.
Strip cells are cells without the padding and "are more dangerous for prisoners", said Mr Neville.
Of nine institutions listed, Arbour Hill Prison in Dublin had the lowest usage of padded cells - used six times in 2003, on 18 occasions last year and just once this year.
The Minister pointed out that if a prisoner was placed in a padded cell more than once in a given year, each incident was recorded separately.
The use of such cells occurs "only when a secure, safe place is required where prisoners can remain under special observation, with minimal opportunity to cause damage to themselves or to others. It is important to note that these cells are not used for routine detention or punishment purposes," Mr McDowell said in the reply.
However, Mr Neville, a spokesman on mental health, said while the explanation was that they were being put into such cells for their own protection, "a prisoner is put in in his underpants, deprived of all stimuli, he eats off the floor and he can be left for up to 28 days".
Mr McDowell has previously expressed shock after seeing padded cells in operation, and gave a commitment to abolish the use of old-style cells.
He said an implementation group was set up to determine the most appropriate special observation cells and as a result six new cells are in use in Cloverhill Prison, and modification of cells in Mountjoy and Castlerea prisons and St Patrick's Institution were at an advanced stage.
But Mr Neville, TD for Limerick West, dismissed this development and said "the Minister did not even have a psychiatrist in the group. "Prisoners are low on the list of priorities and mentally-ill prisoners are even lower. The attitude is in general that 'they're prisoners - who cares?'."
If a prisoner broke a leg or was physically injured, they would be taken to hospital, he added. But if mentally ill, they were locked up on their own and checked "through a peephole every 15 minutes to see that they're still alive".
