SIR – With the housing market in trouble, with house sales at the lowest level for years and with mortgage applications and approvals showing a similar pattern estate agents, mortgage providers, solicitors and MPs are all pointing the finger at HIPs.

These home information packs, which every home seller needs to show prospective buyers cost hundreds of pounds yet hardly any buyer trusts them.

As a result, sellers are very unhappy at spending large sums of money when it is difficult to sell houses and buyers then spend money on carrying out their own surveys.

It comes as no surprise that all involved in the housing market are saying HIPs should be abolished.

This will not happen as the information about energy efficiency, which is contained in the HIP is required and comes to us courtesy of directive 2002/91/EC of the EU parliament and council of December 16, 2002.

If things are bad you can guarantee the EU can make it worse.

MARK STARR, Worcester.