I fully agree with David Brown's comments on the home information packs. Nick Raynsford's thinking, along with the government's in general, is flawed in respect of this legislation.

Raynsford says the packs are supposed to "speed the house purchase process" (10 February, page 35). They will do anything but. The cost of producing the survey will deter speculative sellers, which will slow the velocity of an already cumbersome market.

For those at the bottom end, who fuel the chain, the (additional) survey is a burden they are least able to afford. And in any case the whole process is full of holes. The surveys will not be accepted by banks or lenders, which will result in unwarranted duplication and unnecessary cost. Who will be liable for negligent surveys? How will we ascertain the competence of surveyors? What will be the shelf life of the report? All these problems are to be left to the market to sort out.

The aim of the policy is laudable; the reality is going to be another bodged piece of legislation that won't work. It's another example of the flawed thinking that is so prevalent from the government at the moment.

Joe Colgan,

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