By Tony Booth

After a decade of debate, this week Home Information Packs (HIPS) finally hit the property market and the phased introduction of the controversial legislation began in England and Wales.

But the only people jumping for joy seemed to be a few government ministers trying to dodge media bullets.

Heralding the launch of HIPs and heading a much diminished and select group of people still brave enough to be advocating them, housing minister Yvette Cooper said:

'The first thing they do is just bring together the information that you have to get anyway and you have to pay for anyway, but at the beginning of the process, rather than at the end, so it speeds the process up and makes it clearer.