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Housing and Regeneration Bill

My Lords, I was intrigued by the weight that the noble Lord placed on the words of Sir Bryan Carsberg about letting the market decide, because it was the market that decided in the past, when the problems arose of delay and cost. From day one there has been a concerted effort to denigrate the worth of HIPs. It has been difficult. As the House will appreciate, the market itself has been topsy-turvy for at least the last two or three years. On this side of the House, we are more prepared to intervene than those on the other side. In other words, we intervened in a genuine belief that the first-time buyer, faced with delays, chains and all the rest of it, had a bad deal. Undoubtedly the main weight in the original legislation was the conditions survey, which was dropped about a year ago because there was undoubted hostility towards the idea. Where did that come from? The vested interests in business. People had been professionally involved and elevated the profession of surveyors to the degree that they virtually had a monopoly, and they did not like interference. Whether the Government got it right or wrong, that provision was dropped to make some progress. I am not in touch with the detail, but the Government should not feel chastised at all because they have not allowed the market to decide. It was the absence of a market that was sympathetic to the needs of the consumer that led the Government to intervene. I will of course listen to what the Minister has to say, as I am sure the House will too.