The Government has received more criticism of its Home Information Packs (HIPs), this time from the National Audit Office (NAO), regarding the way the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) handled the certification scheme.

Peter Bolton King, chief executive at the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA), said: “This latest criticism, which has come from the Government’s own audit office, is yet another confirmation of the inadequacy of HIPs.

“We have voiced our unhappiness over a number of aspects of the HIPs implementation right from the start and have not been alone in our concerns. A House of Lords Select Committee mirrored our worries earlier in the year when it met to discuss the legislation. Unfortunately, the Government chose not to heed the warning of the Committee, and indeed refused to take the advice being offered by industry stakeholders. The fact that a full investigation into the HIPs implementation is due to be launched next year by the National Audit Office speaks volumes.”

NOA will report to Parliament in 2008-9 on the overall effectiveness of the arrangements put in place by the department to introduce HIPs and to ensure qualified inspectors were available to implement the scheme.