Examination of Witnesses (Questions 115-119)
MR PHIL
MORGAN
30 MARCH 2004
Q115 Chairman: Good morning
and welcome to the Committee. For the sake of the record, could
you introduce yourself?
Mr Morgan: My name is Phil Morgan
and I am the Chief Executive of the Tenant Participation Advisory
Service.
Q116 Chairman: We have already received
supplementary evidence from you which everyone has in front of
them. Would you wish to make any opening statement or are you
happy to go straight into questions?
Mr Morgan: I am happy to go straight
into questions.
Q117 Mr Clelland: Given the fact that
you support the split between regulation and inspection, do you
have any evidence that the housing associations' performance has
improved since then?
Mr Morgan: I think it is important
first of all to be clear about why we support the split. I remember
very clearly listening to a senior official, who is no longer
at the Housing Corporation, explaining why he did not favour the
same approach to inspection that the Audit Commission took. The
Audit Commission from a very early about housing inspections has
taken the view that there should be a star rating, and that is
something we support, and it has got to be very clear and very
transparent. I listened to that individual from the Corporation
defend the fact that the Corporation were not going to take such
an approach by saying that he thought it would jeopardise their
relationship with housing associations. It is at that point that
I came to the conclusion that we needed to have a very clear split
between regulation and inspection. Inspection needs to be done
impartially, heartlessly and professionally. We thought, and we
still believe, that that is what the Audit Commission can do for
the Housing Inspectorate. There has also now started to become
some evidence that with the focus on regulation, the Housing Corporation
are starting to be braver about putting housing associations into
supervision where that is appropriate. I would not say that from
our perspective we regard that as conclusive, nor would I try
to argue to you that it is, but I think there is now starting
to become some trickle of evidence that the Corporation are taking
their regulatory role seriously and certainly as regards the implementation
of the Corporation's Involvement Policy, we would regard the role
they have got on regulation as being important to back that up.
Q118 Mr Clelland: Given the fact that
the Audit Commission have no direct responsibility for housing
associations, does that not mean that it is going to be more difficult
for them to be effective in that role?
Mr Morgan: No, I think the fact
that it is independent is a strength, not a weakness. I think
it gives it the ability, like I say, to be very critical where
it needs to be critical and not have to worry about building up
relationships with housing associations in the same way as the
Corporation or some similar body would have.
Q119 Mr Clelland: Do you think that there
are other aspects of the Corporation's responsibility which ought
to be hived off to the Audit Commission?
Mr Morgan: Not at this particular
point in time. For the reasons I have already outlined, we think
it is important that the Housing Inspectorate keeps its strong
independence and we regard that as actually strengthening its
role to give that critical evidence about inspection and about
the performance of housing associations.
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