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9 Oct 2006 : Column 382W—continued
Yvette Cooper: There are no plans to exempt key worker housing, shared equity housing or other low cost housing schemes from the requirement to obtain a home information pack when a property is sold. An exception is where the terms of the scheme entitle the RSL to nominate a subsequent purchaser from their waiting list. As there would be no marketing in such cases, a pack would not be required.
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a full home information pack will be required for a property on which a National House-Building Council guarantee is still valid. [81742]
Yvette Cooper: Where a new home is subsequently resold within the validity period of a National House-Building Council guarantee a full home information pack, comprising an Energy Performance Certificate, searches and other legal information, will be required. The seller will be authorised to include a home condition report if he or she wishes.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Ordnance Survey’s submission to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s consultation on home information pack regulations. [83100]
Yvette Cooper: The response to the Department’s consultation on the Home Information Pack Regulations from the Ordnance Survey dated 21 December 2005 has been deposited in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what measures are to be included in the home information packs to ensure that the reliability and safety of domestic wiring and electrical installations has been appropriately checked. [84353]
Yvette Cooper: Where a Home Condition Report (HCR) is provided, the Home Inspector will carry out a visual inspection of the domestic wiring and electrical installation, and will report on any faulty wiring that is evident from the inspection. A condition rating will be given in the HCR, based on this inspection. The HCR will also contain a safety warning about the need for periodic inspection and testing, and advise that any electrical installation carried out after 1 January 2005 should be identified by an electrical installation certificate.
Information about standards of safety to which a property ought to/does comply is authorised for inclusion in the pack, so, for example, electrical safety certificates could be included as authorised documents.
We are also considering how such information can be included within the standard search process before the introduction of HIPs.
Mrs. Spelman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government’s assessment is of the expected effect of the introduction of home information packs on (a)
houses being placed on the market and (b) housing transactions. [85703]
Yvette Cooper: An assessment of the impact of home information packs has been published in a regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations made under part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. This assessment will be updated in the light of the findings of a baseline study of the home buying process reporting later this year, and of information obtained during the dry run of home information packs.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to public funds was of the home information pack pilot project. [85704]
Yvette Cooper: The Bristol pilot study was designed to test the practical operation of home information packs and ran between December 1999 and July 2000. The study cost £315,000.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether consumers involved in the home information pack pilot project will be charged for receiving a home information pack for their homes. [85705]
Yvette Cooper: We are proposing to offer a range of incentives to encourage take-up and ensure that we learn as much as possible from the trials. This will include offering a limited number of free packs; packs in which the mandatory elements will be provided free to the seller if they pay for a home condition report; and packs provided on a “no sale, no fee” basis. The different offers will enable us to learn about different aspects of the reaction of both buyers and sellers to the packs as well as testing a series of practical issues.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s latest estimate is of the cost of producing each element of a home information pack, other than the home condition report, before VAT. [85734]
Yvette Cooper: The regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations laid in June 2006 set out assessments of different costs. Revised estimates will be included in the updated regulatory impact assessment to be published alongside new regulations in early 2007.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the (a) Welsh Assembly Government and (b) National Assembly for Wales has in the implementation of home information packs, with particular reference to the passage of secondary legislation. [86825]
Yvette Cooper:
This is not a devolved matter, but the Secretary of State has a duty to consult the National Assembly for Wales before making any regulations which relate to residential properties in Wales, and we did so. We formally consulted the Assembly on the proposed secondary legislation and regulatory impact assessment, and the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee discussed Home Information Packs at its
meeting on 3 May 2006. We also conducted various informal consultations with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Language Board on the content of the secondary legislation.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role the Association of Home Information Pack Providers is playing in the dry run for home information packs. [86829]
Yvette Cooper: We are working in partnership with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers. Key roles that it will perform will include ensuring that providers are in place to prepare packs and estate agents are recruited to offer them to home sellers.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government compiled an equality impact assessment for the introduction of home information packs. [88060]
Yvette Cooper: The Department commissioned the COI Strategic Consultancy to investigate the impact of home information packs on ethnic and other minor groups, and the results were reflected in the regulatory impact assessment that was published in June 2006.
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government have made of the effect of home information packs on the property market in low-demand areas. [88257]
Yvette Cooper: Independent research was commissioned in 2003 into the potential impact of the introduction of home information packs in areas affected by low demand and low value. This research was used to inform the regulatory impact assessment published in June 2006. Further baseline research has been commissioned, and there will be a report in October.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on compensating those who have trained as home inspectors following the recent change in policy on the home information packs programme. [90148]
Yvette Cooper: The Government’s policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take-up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed, and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for the private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will pay compensation to trainee Home Improvement Pack inspectors who have paid for their training courses. [90249]
Yvette Cooper: The Government’s policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for the private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate she has made of how many home inspectors will be required to implement the revised home information packs from June 2007. [90309]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 9 October 2006.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for area-based trials of home information packs. [90313]
Yvette Cooper: Trials will take place in Bath, Cambridge, Southampton, Northampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield. We are working with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers to organise the trials.
These trials will be independently verified. A further announcement will be made shortly on the selected contractor who will conduct the independent research.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate has been made of the number of (a) home information packs and (b) home inspectors to be required in the first (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) 12 months of the operation of the scheme. [90347]
Yvette Cooper: Estimates of the number of Home Information Packs required by sellers are based on industry estimates of future home buying and selling. These are given in the following table:
| Home information packs required by home sellers | |
| Number | |
The number of trained home inspectors across England and Wales who will be required to produce energy performance certificates and the optional home condition reports for sellers will vary with seasonal demand and the local housing market. It is estimated that between 2,500 and 4,500 individuals working full or part-time would be required to satisfy demand for these.
More detailed estimates will become available as the percentage take-up of home condition reports is determined during the progress of the area-based trials.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s latest estimate is of the cost of a home information pack in June 2007 without the home condition report; and what the estimate is of the cost of each item to be included. [90362]
Yvette Cooper: The regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations laid in June 2006 includes assumptions on costs. A regulatory impact assessment will be published alongside new regulations early in 2007. All these figures will be revised where necessary in the light of the dry run and other trials.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria her Department will use in deciding whether to make home condition reports mandatory after 2007. [90363]
Yvette Cooper: We have made clear that it is for industry in the first instance to take the lead in encouraging the take-up of home condition reports, and we will want to discuss its views on the way forward in the light of the dry run, area trials and experience of home information packs.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether further (a) secondary legislation and (b) guidance will be required in order to implement home information packs. [90387]
Yvette Cooper: Further regulations and guidance will be published early in 2007 in order to implement the changes announced in July ahead of the planned introduction of home information packs from 1 June 2007.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 18 July 2006, Official Report, columns 11-13WS, on home information packs (1) what assessment she has made of the (a) benefits and (b) costs to industry of her announcement; [90481]
(2) if the Government will produce a revised regulatory impact assessment on home information packs. [90364]
Yvette Cooper: A revised regulatory impact assessment on home information packs will be published alongside new regulations early in 2007.
The proposed timing will allow the revised regulations to reflect initial findings from the practical experience of assembling and using HIPs in the area trials.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 18 July 2006, Official Report, columns 11-13WS, on home information packs, what plans the Government have to consult further on home information packs. [90482]
Yvette Cooper: Further consultations will take place on any new regulations laid before 1 June 2007. Departmental officials continue to be in regular discussions with stakeholders about the implementation of the programme.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement of 18 July 2006, Official Report, columns 11-13WS, on Home Information Packs, what plans the Government have for the introduction of the electronic register of Home Condition Reports; and what the timetable is. [90484]
Yvette Cooper: Home Condition Reports and Energy Performance Certificates will be lodged on an electronic register. Landmark Solutions has been chosen as the preferred bidder to set up the electronic register, which is expected be operational by November 2006.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Government have made of the number of physical valuations that will take place in addition to Home Information Packs once the packs are introduced. [90486]
Yvette Cooper: The Regulatory Impact Assessment published in June 2006 assumed that AVMs or other methods other than physical surveys would be used in 38 per cent. of transactions.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her latest estimate is of the number of voluntary home condition reports that will be produced for home information packs in the first year of the pack’s implementation. [90504]
Yvette Cooper: We are undertaking a series of area trials from November, in partnership with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, to help test both the packs and full Home Condition Reports. Regional campaigns will run simultaneously to support the trials, raise awareness and encourage voluntary take up. There will be independent monitoring of these trials, which will look at the level of take-up of voluntary HCRs. The results of these trials will be used to look further at the likely take-up of voluntary HCRs after 1 June 2007.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of whether further resources are required for trading standards Departments to enforce the requirement to produce a home information pack before placing a house on the market. [90511]
Yvette Cooper: Additional resources of £2.43 million have been made available to local authorities in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 for the purposes of HIP enforcement. Discussions with the LGA and the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services are ongoing and the DCLG has committed to funding the one-off costs of training and development of staff, estimated at £50,000 by LACORS.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations her Department has received from the LACORS in relation to the enforcement of home information packs; and if she will make a statement. [90515]
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