The government has indicated that there will be a delay in the introduction of home information packs until 2007 to enable the 5,000-8,000 people who will be required to be trained in the preparation of the packs.

If 8,000 people are paid inclusive of National Insurance contributions, say, 40,000 per annum each, they have one secretary at 20,000 each, the costs of their office overheads, accountancy expenses, tele-phones, upwards of, say, 20,000 per annum each, and the cost of their professional negligence insurance at 20,000 per annum, then the actual cost is likely to be 8,000 x 100,000 per annum.

The costs of the HIPs will therefore be not less than 800 million a year.

Ignoring all the other flaws with the packs, why should house sellers incur an annual fee of 800 million plus VAT.

At a stroke, the government wants to increase the cost of moving home by 1 billion a year.

James Carter, Martin Tolhurst Partnership, Gravesend, Kent