Clause 1 - Meaning of ``residential property'' and other expressions
Homes Bill
5:45 pm
Mr Nick Raynsford (Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions; Greenwich and Woolwich, Labour)
The hon. Gentleman is performing a perfectly proper activity, especially for the Opposition, which is to explore every possible circumstance to test the Bill. In the event of an individual doing what he described—approaching several different people—the individual is clearly seeking to market the property. One of them might happen to be a trading standards officer or to know the local authority trading standards officer, which would clearly lead to a reminder that the individual should have a seller's pack, as he is putting the property on the market.
The hon. Gentleman will know, as we all do, that although distinctions of such a nature are extremely important, there will always be fuzzy edges. It is impossible to have a precise borderline between one set of circumstances and another. The purpose of the law is that it should take account of normal circumstances, be practicable and comply with what people sense is the right distinction.
Mr. Brake rose—