§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what effect seller's packs will have on properties situated on polluted land [114346]
§ Mr. McNultyThe effect of the home information pack on such properties will be to make more information on possible pollution available to prospective buyers at the start of the transaction process. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's consultation paper on the contents of the home information pack identifies three ways in which the pack could identify potential pollution problems affecting the property. The first is the standard searches made of local authorities. These would identify, for example, any entry relating to the property in the register maintained under section 78R(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The second is an environmental search, which could identify, for example, close proximity to the operation of certain prescribed industrial processes. The third is the home condition report, which would identify any potential pollution problem observed by the home inspector in the course of his inspection of the property. The detailed contents of the home information pack will be considered further in the light of responses to the consultation.