Lords vote 'will not stop HIPs'

A motion tabled by the Conservatives to scrap the HIPs policy has passed by 180 vote to 160. However, the House of Commons has the ability to pass the bill without the approval of the Lords. Baroness Hanham of the Conservatives led the debate and says: “Without the energy performance certificate, what does the HIP give you? Remarkably little. It does not produce anything much and, despite all the efforts of the Minister and the Government, it still has not improved an enormous amount on the way through the system.” Mike Ockenden, director general of AHIPP, claims that the Tories have mad...