Home Information Pack Regulations 2007

My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, concluded her remarks by inviting the Minister to bury the current proposals, but I am looking forward to a resurrection. Although the Government may not even yet have got it right, I congratulate them on being driven by a number of imperatives. I begin by saying what I would have said if this had been a standalone debate. I am puzzled, frankly, by the number of individuals and bodies agreeing in general that something should be done but not that which is proposed, or saying that it should be done quickly but not as quickly as is being proposed. I have a funny suspicion that a great many organisations mentioned this afternoon profess that they are in favour, in general, of action along the lines proposed, but are very conscious of the fact that they are trade protection organisations. There are professions to be protected. One early element that has emerged inmy reading of the situation, although I am not as competent as some professionals who have spoken here this afternoon, and the general tenor that I sense in this discussion, is that there is a resistance to people entering a field that has been hitherto an exclusive preserve of the profession and that those people are seen as Johnny-come-latelies who are perhaps not as fully qualified as members of the profession. It is with a faint dose of praise that they say to the Government that something must be done, but not by the Government. They are saying, ““Leave it to us—we are in the position to make the situation better””. The House needs to be reminded of one or two facts. The main basis on which we have come here today is that there has been a lack of consultation. Well, we have all been in consultation. If the Government listen carefully but decide not to change their attitude, it is said that the Government have steamrollered and ignored other views. On the other hand, if as they have done today and more than once during this process, the Government come back and say that perhaps they can improve things, people sneer. People laugh and grin at what they believe to be a great humiliation. I do not see what the Minister or her colleagues have done as humiliation; instead, they are determined to try to get it right. I hope that we can build on what the Minister said in the Statement. There seems to be an emergence of a working arrangement between the main protagonists and the Government. One might say, ““That’s good news, but it is a bit late””. When I was in the Commons some 25 years ago, there was a vogue for something called a logbook, which was to put right what has been attempted now. The idea was floated and a lot of flesh was put on the bones of the idea that every house should have a logbook, which was part and parcel of the sale. That was 25 years ago. I referred earlier to the advice that Peter Walker gave in 1984 that mortgage lenders should insist on information of the kind that we are talking about being part of every sale. Early Day Motions have been introduced in the Commons for action to be taken and Select Committees have come out in favour, in general. I am not competent to argue the minutiae of the detail of the proposals, but I am looking in general at the situation with which we are faced. Frankly, it is an appalling situation. As regards the energy situation on the ground, I am told by Friends of the Earth that 2 million people are at risk from fuel poverty and that 1 million do not even have hot water insulation. That costs only £20. The cost is so little but the reality is that millions of homes in this country could be improved. Some of us have taken necessary steps such as having loft insulation installed. We incurred a cost but it was not tremendous. We may ask why on Earth other people do not take those steps when they have the same need to have a better insulated and more energy efficient house. The sad fact is that they do not. They can either be compelled to do it—of which I am not in favour—or encouraged to do it by sticks and carrots offered by the Government. Eight million people lack cavity wall insulation and 6 million lack roof insulation. If that is the situation, you cannot really blame the Government for trying to put right that which is patently bad. A recent United Nations report on climate change identified energy efficiency measures as crucial to reduce CO2 emissions. Reference has been made to the fact that we are under a stricture because we have to comply with EU regulations by a certain date. I hope very much that the Minister will take away from this debate the fact that millions of people, whether they know it or not, will benefit from legislation of this kind. Many noble Lords opposite have not suggested proposals to deal with the basic problem, as opposed to being negative. Tinkering with the issue has been suggested, as have incentives, and perhaps other ways of doing it. I hope that the atmosphere which is generated around the table by the main players in this matter will lead to the laying of the order, which we are promised by 1 August. That is not a long time away; it is two months. These things take time, as I demonstrated. It has taken 25 years to reach the present position. Reference was made to the support, the lack of support, or the unanimity of the opposition to these proposals. However, it is not necessarily so. I have a list entitled the Directory of Home Information Pack Providers. It is a long list, including conveyancingand legal services, companies, estate agents, surveyors, search companies, finance houses, technology and others. It is not an extensive list or even large. To say that there is unanimity among the professions is nonsense. This matter is being used as part of a general stick with which to beat the Government, not just on this but on other issues. I sincerely hope that the Minister will keep in mind the burning ambition that she and I share that the homes in which people live should be made as comfortable and as energy efficient as possible. I refer also to the terrible waste that occurs—£1 million every day is wasted in transactions which subsequently fail. Although a majority of noble Lords will vote on party lines against what she is doing, I hope that the Minister will take heart from that fact that she can use the period won in the past day or two to re-engage with anyone willing to support proposals to deal with the basic problem—that people are entitled to a decent home. Noble Lords talk about the costs. Well, I have been told that the cost will be between £350 and£400 per energy efficiency report. Given that the average cost of a house is nearly £200,000, that would be money well spent. I say to the Minister and her colleagues: you have listened carefully so far, you should listen further to me and to others. All power to your elbow.