Fianna Fail is calling for minimum mandatory sentences for those convicted of assaulting members of the prison service.
It comes as Gardaí hunt a prisoner who stabbed 2 prison officers and escaped, during a visit to Tallaght hospital in Dublin yesterday.
One prison officer underwent emergency surgery after he was stabbed in the stomach, the second officer was wounded in the hand.
The escaped prisoner has been named as 53 year old Derek Brockwell, who's described as extremely dangerous.
Fianna Fail's Justice Spokesman Niall Collins says frontline workers need new legislation to protect them from violent attacks.
