Groups representing tenants and the homeless have criticised the Government's decision to delay for two years the introduction of legislation reforming the private rented sector.
The housing agency Threshold said it was dismayed that urgently needed reform, which would increase security of tenure for tenants, had been postponed.
In a statement, the group welcomed yesterday's proposals as a "first step" to achieving much-needed reform. But, it said, "by proposing a two-year time-frame, the Government are prepared to leave tenants in the sector in limbo until 2003 before seeing any improvements in their situation".
The Dublin Simon Community also criticised the two-year delay, given the fact that rents had doubled in the past three years.
Illegal evictions have also risen dramatically, with Threshold reporting an increase in Dublin from 135 such evictions in 1999 to 341 last year.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul welcomed the publication, saying it was bemused the Government had taken six months to respond to the report.
The Labour Party's spokesman on the environment, Mr Eamon Gilmore, noted: "Landlords will get their tax breaks immediately under the 2001 Finance Act. But tenants will have to wait two years to get their limited legal rights". Even the most complicated legislation did not take so long to prepare, he said.
The retention of a 9 per cent stamp duty on investor property was criticised by Fine Gael's spokesman on housing, Mr Billy Timmins. He said the introduction of this and other taxes had led to a drying-up in the supply of rental accommodation at a time when the country needed 33,000 new units annually.
