The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has called on the Government to consider issuing work permits directly to employees to help combat the exploitation of foreign workers.
The Geneva-based committee also expressed concern at the Government's refusal to recognise Travellers as an ethnic grouping and expressed concern at the direct provision system for asylum-seekers.
The recommendations are contained in the concluding observations of the UN committee which at a meeting in Geneva two weeks ago examined Ireland's progress in tackling racism.
While the report welcomes positive developments by the State, such as the adoption of the first national action plan against racism, the number of concerns raised by the committee are likely to prove embarrassing for the Government.
Among the 20 concerns and recommendations issued, the committee urges the Government to:
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said the Government would study the findings. She said the issue of individual work permits was being examined and pointed to "significant progress" in the provision of services to the Traveller community. She added that the Government remained to be convinced regarding Travellers' claims to be recognised as an ethnic minority.
Philip Watt of the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism said he hoped the Government would take all the UN body's recommendations on board.
In particular, he said, the recommendation to introduce the concept of racism in criminal law to allow for more severe punishment would be welcome.