Mr Justice Peter Kelly, president of the High Court, signed an order last month to remove debt cases from the master’s list with effect from Monday 4 February.

Mr Honohan is regarded as a prominent critic of how a number of banks have dealt with repossessions, and drafted a bill which he said would help people in such cases by giving non-profit housing providers the right of first refusal on buying the security on homes that are in mortgage arrears.

The Master, who deals with pre-trial matters before they go before a High Court judge, was recently criticised by judges for giving defendants “a false sense of hope” beyond his powers.

The petition on Change.org, which now has over 3,700 signatures, states: “We believe that Edmund Honohan acts stoically, in the interests of the Irish people, justice and good law. His proposed ‘Housing and Fair Mortgage Bill’ gives merit to our argument, and to his dedication and acumen, in all related regards.

“With a tsunami of homelessness in the pipeline, and no Governmental solutions put forward, the proposed removal of Edmund Honohan from debt cases, would be disrespectful to due process for the better good.”