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Housing: Home Information Packs

My Lords, I apologise. I realise that it must be a touchy subject and I will keep off it. On Monday, on the question of where the opposition was coming from, the noble Lord said that people were opposing the Bill on principle. I asked what the principle was. He said that the principle was interference in the free market. I said, ““Well, I am supporting it on principle—the principle of interfering in the free market””. If by the operation of the free market there are, across the whole field, supporters for this kind of action, I believe that the Government should be commended for at least making the endeavour. I hear what the noble Lord, Lord Addington, says: that an aspect of his speech deserves answers and possibly some constructive response from the Minister when she replies. But no scheme with so many vested interests—one of them being the consumer—will ever begin with unanimity. It will evolve. If the Government felt that with the passage of time there would be difficulty in producing a workable and viable scheme for the home reports, they did the right thing in withdrawing them. I am assuming that the Minister will tell us something helpful about the steps taken to try to come around to the original suggestion. I have quotes from the Law Society, from estate agents and from the Consumers Association. It says that of the people it surveyed 80 per cent said that they were in favour of the scheme—possibly not the detail, but in favour of the idea that this HIP nexus would be produced. Time, as we all know, is the essence of many situations. The process that takes place in this country is far and away longer than it is in other countries. The Government should take courage and persist in their plans, taking careful note of the improvements which might be made, but certainly not abandon them. I wish the Government well in their process.