To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the Office of Fair Trading's options for pricing access to local authority search information.

The Government accepted the recommendations in the OFT's report, "Property Searches—A Market Study", in a response published in December 2005. The study provided two options for the pricing access to local authority (LA):

(a) that central Government set uniform fees (this could be at a price that reflects the costs of an efficient LA or an average LA or alternatively the fee could be set at zero); or

(b) that LAs set their own fees at a level that covers their costs.

The Government's response stated that they favoured the option of allowing LAs to set their own fees but wanted to ensure it was a valid option before any final decision. This decision would be informed through the collection and analysis of detailed information on all the elements that make up a property search. The consultation paper, "HIP Update: Toward 1 June", published on 25 January, announced that we will seek tenders for the production of a final charging methodology and guidance by independent experts to give a clear basis for taking that decision.