Housing and Regeneration Bill

My Lords, the essential arguments have not changed; they go over similar ground to that covered 10 days ago. I want to raise three points. First, the amendment would keep the energy performance certificate; that is not an issue. Part of my reluctance about HIPs is because the energy performance certificate is needed on all housing now. Relying on the market to distribute energy performance certificates is a basically flawed strategy. The second problem is that, for better or worse, the home information pack really is not fit for purpose. If it were, we would not have passed, only a few weeks ago, yet another extension of the exemption on first-day advertising and sale, so that HIPs only have to be applied and do not have to be available from day one. If there was confidence that they were doing a genuinely good job, we would not have passed that exemption when we did. I should be surprised if, when the time comes, we do not see yet another request for another exemption period. So long as that is in place, the Government’s confidence in their own product, if one can put it that way, is deeply flawed. Thirdly, the sustainable building code is nothing to do with HIPs. That code will apply in particular to new buildings but it will inevitably—because we want to see it—work its way through into the existing housing market. It will not be an issue in the marketing of property; people buy their property as it is. The evidence is that people buy their property without particular regard to the home information pack and most people usually make a commitment to buy before they have seen it. So long as that is so, we cannot say that this is a benefit to the market. I agree that this could have only a marginal effect on present circumstances. I also agree that the existence of the pack has nothing to do with current marketing or the quality of housing except in so far as the really useful part of it—the energy performance certificate—is part of the pack; we need the energy performance certificates, and we intend that they should continue. There really is no case for sustaining this unsustainable bit of marketing nonsense. I wish to test the opinion of the House. On Question, Whether the said amendment (No. 158) shall be agreed to? Their Lordships divided: Contents, 103; Not-Contents, 122. lause 292 [Ballots before certain disposals to private landlords]: