I have now replied to the hon. Member’s question.
We fully expect local authority trading standards officers to carry out their new statutory duties when home information packs are introduced on 1 August 2007. The Department has worked closely with the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) throughout the development of this policy and is now working with them to ensure a smooth implementation. Trading standards have the expertise and experience to operate a common-sense approach to enforcement assessing each case individually, and taking into account whether the HIP is being deliberately avoided when deciding appropriate measures to take—ranging from advice and warnings to a £200 penalty charge. Any estate agents issued with a penalty charge will be reported to the OFT, which has the ability to issue a banning order preventing an offender from trading as an estate agent.
In total we have received requests for more than 4,000 home information packs (HIPs) across all the trials.
We are still analysing and compiling the data from Phase 2 of the trials. We will publish the findings later in the year.
We are still receiving completed HIPs from pack providers and solicitors. MORI continues to conduct independent research with organisations involved in the trial and with buyers and sellers using the HIPs in their transactions.
Research conducted for the Department by Europe Economics suggested that had home information packs (HIPs) been implemented on 1 June for all properties there might have been a transitory impact on the volume of properties marketed for sale as consumers adjusted to the new duties. Any such impact was likely to have been small compared with the normal fluctuations in listings. The analysis further predicted that listings behaviour would quickly return to trend levels as the new systems settles into place. Under the revised arrangements, with phased introduction of HIPs, any transitional impacts are likely to be even less significant.
The report further suggests that any transitional adjustments are unlikely to affect house prices or transactions, and that home information packs are unlikely to be a determinant of future changes in house price trends.
In the medium term, as home information packs improve transparency and increase competition, making home buying and selling a quicker, more certain and less daunting experience, the operation of the market should improve.
The Europe Economics research is currently being updated to reflect the phased implementation announced on 22 May 2007. The revised report will be published in due course.
Consumers will be able to seek independent redress for home information pack (HIP)- related complaints against estate agents who are acting in relation to the sale of residential properties for which a HIP is required. The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, who is the Minister with policy responsibility for estate agents, will shortly be making an order requiring such estate agents in England and Wales to belong to an approved redress scheme for HIP-related complaints from 1 August 2007.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 May 2006, Official Report, column 1400W, regarding access to home condition reports.
Access to energy performance certificates entered in the register is controlled under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. It is an offence for the keeper of the register to disclose EPCs to any other person unless expressly permitted by the Regulations. These Regulations make provision for the disclosure to the Energy Performance Certificate Register by means other than the report reference number to enforcement authorities including the Office of Fair Trading for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime, and prosecuting offenders through the courts.
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government also has access for monitoring and enforcement of the Regulations or auditing the work of certification schemes, and that of the register operator, provided that no particular property is identifiable from the information disclosed. No other Departments have access.
[holding answer 4 June 2007]: We set out details in the home information packs regulations and commencement order which were published on 11 June 2007.
(2) if she will make available resources from the contingency fund to compensate those people who re-trained as energy performance inspectors in the expectation that their work would start on 1 June this year.
The reasons for the delay to the implementation of home information packs were set out in the statement on 22 May 2007.
The proposals we set out on 22 May will mean domestic energy assessors (DEAs) will be able to begin work shortly. We laid revised regulations on 11 June and from 1 August DEAs will also start work with four-bedroom and larger properties, rolling out to all properties as soon as possible.
We have invited councils and registered social landlords to work with us to introduce energy performance certificates (EPCs) on a voluntary basis in social housing. We are also providing 5,000 subsidised EPCs with every HIP commissioned before 1 August. These two projects will support the transition in the housing market, allow for further trialling and help to deliver early carbon savings as well as ensuring that there is as much work as possible for energy assessors at an early stage.
We published our assessment of the introduction of Home Information Packs on 11 June. A number of the largest home information pack providers have committed themselves to ensuring that home-owners anywhere in England and Wales should be able to obtain a pack within seven working days at the advertised national rate.
We set out details in the home information packs regulations and commencement order which were published on 11 June 2007.
The new home information pack regulations have been discussed with key stakeholders and scrutiny bodies including the Better Regulation Executive and the House of Lords Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee. This follows consultation in January of this year. A consultation in accordance with the Department’s agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on the age of an energy performance certificate when included in a home information pack will commence this summer.
Full conclusions from the area trials will not be available until the end of the year. The implementation update published on 11 June includes information on the assessments that will be done. A copy of the update has been placed in the House Library.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007, Official Report, column 817W.
Regular updates to the figures on trained and accredited assessors will be available on the Department’s website.
Estimates on listings are set out in the impact assessment published on 11 June 2007.
On 16 May 1,110 people were either accredited or having their accreditation processed to be Home Inspectors or Energy Assessors. Of those, 406 had completed accreditation or certification and 706 were having their accreditation processed.
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) on 11 June 2007, Official Report, column 817W.
We will provide further regular updates on the Department’s website.
(2) what estimate she has made of the average market cost of a home information pack, including VAT, for a four-bedroom house.
An estimate of the cost of producing a home information pack is set out in the Impact Assessment published on 11 June 2007.
We are reprinting the Home Information Pack Toolkit, which will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as it becomes available.
A copy of the agreement is available in the Library of both Houses.
The Housing Act 2004 (Commencement No.8) (England and Wales) Order 2007 provides that homes that are marketed as having four bedrooms or more will require a home information pack (HIP). The Housing Act 2004 makes it clear that the responsibility to obtain a home information pack is on the person responsible for marketing the property.
We have worked with a large number of stakeholders, including Rightmove and Countrywide, on the development of home information packs.
I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State's statement to the House on 22 May 2007.