A Conservative MP has called the Home Information Packs system "a fiasco" and called for them to be axed.

Shadow housing minister Grant Shapps said: "Just about the only person in Britain who still thinks that Home Information Packs are a good idea is Yvette Cooper, but it's time for her to admit that HIPs are a fiasco and axe them.

"This was a failed policy from the start. But rather than back down when it became apparent HIPs had no credibility, ministers took the coward's option and watered them down to the point where they are virtually useless.

"The cost of this failed policy is now being picked up by the home seller who is forced to commission a HIP and this is further adding to the problems of a stagnant housing market."

Home Information Packs have now been made mandatory for all homes in England and Wales despite continuing concerns over their impact on the housing market.

It comes after housing minister Yvette Cooper praised the packs, which she said will help buyers, especially first-time buyers, by giving them important information upfront they previously had to pay for.

Homebuyers will be able to get an energy rating for their new home as well as useful advice on how to cut fuel bills and carbon emissions, and those on low incomes will be helped with grants to purchase items such as new boilers, she said.

But Charles Smailes, of the National Association of Estate Agents, said its members have seen little enthusiasm for HIPs.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors also remains unconvinced of the benefits.

It has warned the full introduction of the packs will wipe 300,000 properties off estate agents' books, with home owners unwilling to pay £300 to £500 just to get an idea of how much they can sell their property for.

But the Government maintains that the packs bring real benefits to buyers - cutting delays in the home buying process and increasing transparency and competition.

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