As was announced on 27 February 2008 (Official Report, columns 77-78WS), I have now made a rating against the code for sustainable homes a required element of home information packs for all new homes. Regulations to be laid in the House today will amend the HIP regulations to bring mandatory code ratings into force from 1 May 2008.

The inclusion of information about the sustainability of new build properties adds to the information on environmental performance and energy efficiency already provided and will continue to enhance the value of the pack to all purchasers looking to buy a new home.

I will also be amending the regulations to extend the temporary provision, allowing the use of insurance cover where property searches data are unavailable, from 31 March to 31 December 2008.

This provision has played an important role in smoothing the introduction of HIPs. It has helped to ensure sufficient capacity in the searches market to cope with the surge in demand generated as a result of searches being required within HIPs at the front of the process. It has also helped to safeguard consumers in the event of missing data in their searches.

The Government are committed to open and fair competition in the delivery of property searches so that consumers benefit from good quality searches at competitive prices—we have already seen local authority search prices fall on average by £30. We have also published guidance for local authorities and personal searchers on access to search data, and we are consulting on future charging arrangements. Following this consultation, we will introduce new charging guidance which should fulfil the conditions for open access arrangements and the levelling of the playing field in the provision of searches. It will create the conditions for ending of the use of the insurance cover provision.

In extending the provision I expect private searchers to make every effort to obtain the necessary data, and only resort to insurance cover where access to required data is denied or data are otherwise unavailable. They should also plan ahead for the ending of the provision. From April, we will publish information on local authority access arrangements to help consumers know the areas that provide open access to searches data.

We are also publishing today the final report of the area trials—I shall be placing copies of the report in the Libraries of the House. This shows that most participants were satisfied with their HIP, and that buyers were beginning to act on energy ratings. The report also highlights that more buyers would have liked to have seen their HIP, but packs were not being shown by their agents in many cases. The Government have already taken action to raise awareness of the consumers’ right to see their HIP and estate agents’ responsibilities to make them readily available.

The implementation of HIPs has gone smoothly and they are making a difference. Our early monitoring and analysis continues to show that HIP delivery systems are working well, delivering the majority of HIPs within 14 days, and the average costs of a HIP has steadied between £300 and £350. Over 370,000 HIPs have now been prepared and over 440,000 energy performance certificates have been lodged.

Consumers are also beginning to benefit. First-time buyers of one and two-bedroom homes now get important information about their new home for free. With EPCs and the new rating against the code for sustainable homes, all home buyers will benefit from information about the costs of running their home and their environmental impact.

I am committed to realising the potential of HIPs in making consumers experience of the home buying and selling process faster, more transparent, less stressful and more sustainable. Over the coming months I will continue to engage widely with stakeholders in consolidating the implementation of HIPs.