Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke.
Retired High Court judge Bryan MacMahon has called on the Government to immediately act to end direct provision saying the issue needed leadership and political will.
“The road map is there, it needs to be implemented,” he told RTÉ radio's Morning Ireland.
His comments come after the Government announced its plans to abolish the direct provision system over the next four years with the Department of Equality saying all existing centres will close on a phased basis by 2024.
A new system will then be set up where asylum seekers will stay in a reception centre for a maximum of four months, before being housed in the community.
Mr Justice MacMahon said the Covid-19 provided an opportunity to deal with the backlog of International Protection applicants as there were fewer people arriving into the country seeking asylum due to travel restrictions.
The building of homes for people exiting direct provision could be deemed “essential” and would help open up the construction sector, he added.
The retired judge said he had two criticisms of the new two phased approach, due to be announced by the Government in a White Paper later today; the four-year timeframe being too long and the current backlog.
He explained the timeframe should be reduced to two years and the existing backlog of 3,000 people in the system should be addressed immediately.
Ambitious
Meanwhile, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) has welcomed the ambition of the White Paper, saying it provides a starting point and a commitment to ending the State's 'for profit' approach to its International Protection obligations.
IHREC's Chief commissioner, Sinéad Gibney said the Government needs to show "a consistent political commitment" to make the essential reforms.
"The Taoiseach’s statement in this White Paper’s foreword to an International Protection System 'centred on a human rights and equality based approach' is a welcome sign of political leadership.
"However, showing people fleeing mistreatment and persecution the dignity they deserve, and the welcome we can offer will be the final litmus test of our international protection approach," Ms Gibney said, adding the Commission will study the White Paper in detail.
Amnesty International Ireland has also broadly welcomed today's publication, but added the real test will be how the White Paper is implemented and how people within the system until then will have their rights upheld.
"After 21 years of this inhumane system, a government has finally taken a real first step towards ending Direct Provision," Amnesty International Ireland's executive director, Colm O'Gorman said.
"We recognise that there is a wider housing crisis, but that crisis requires political leadership across departments. Everyone has the right to adequate housing, and we hope that we do not see one marginalised group pitted against another in a false dichotomy," Mr O'Gorman said.
He highlighted the commitment to processing International Protection applications within six months as vital, but noted: "This was the case with the original Direct Provision model. It needs to happen this time."
"Until Direct Provision ends, thousands of people will remain within a system that the Government has acknowledged is not fit for purpose. While 2024 is a realistic timeline for the creation of this ambitious alternative, the state must uphold their rights until that is achieved," Mr O'Gorman said.
