The Direct Provision System has been in place in Ireland for 20 years. During that time it has been repeatedly criticised by international and national human rights organisations, by people in the system and in a number of Oireachtas Committee and independent reports. 

In 2019 the Irish Government established an Advisory Group chaired by Dr Catherine Day, former Secretary General of the European Commission. The Advisory Group investigated how to replace Direct Provision, speed up the asylum process and accommodate and treat people during and after the asylum process. Its report, along with a list of recommendations, has been sent to Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Children, Disabilities, Equality and Integration, Roderic O’Gorman. 

Before the General Elections of 2020 the issue of ending / reforming the Direct Provision system was prominent in many election manifestos. After The Green Party joined the governing coalition, replacement of Direct Provision became part of the Government's programme. The new Department of Children, Disabilities, Equality and Integration was given a remit over the Direct Provision system. 

The expert report by Dr Catherine Day and the advisory group recommends ending Direct Provision no later than 2023: the Government had committed to using the recommendations from the Day Report to produce a white paper by the end of 2020, but this has now been delayed until February 2021. Already, voices of criticism have emerged warning the Government that the plans for establishing a new system to replace the Direct Provision will fail if the backlog of applicants is not cleared first.

Successful implementation of the new plan is under question, with the Department of Housing calling the plan to offer asylum seekers own-door accommodation 'not workable' and threatening the State’s ability to house homeless people. The issue of own-door accommodation is central to ending the current system. Junior Minister Joe O’Brien called the comments by the Department of Housing 'very unconstructive', saying that they 'crossed the line'.

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