Official: Home Information Packs have failed

A secret Government report has condemned Home Information Packs (HIPs) as "a waste of time".

The damning report, only made public because of a Parliamentary Question from the Conservatives, savages Labour's flagship housing policy.

Grant Shapps, the Shadow Minister for Housing, said Labour had been "caught red-handed" trying to hide this damning indictment of Home Information Packs.

And he promised a Conservative Government would abolish this unnecessary piece of red tape:

"Home Information Packs have served to undermine the housing market, increased the cost of buying and selling a home and discouraged speculative sellers."

Almost 4,000 buyers, sellers and estate agents across the country were surveyed for the Government report.