4,000 government 'snoopers' hired to check people's houses

Fears over Government 'snooping' grew after revelations about the latest batch of inspectors set to check on people's private lives.

From June, anyone wanting to sell a house or flat will be legally obliged to pay £200 to have it checked by one of the estimated 4,000 Home Inspectors now undergoing training.

Each property will then be assigned a Home Information Pack, including a compulsory 'green' certificate which assesses its energy efficiency.

Ministers believe the move will help buyers compare costs between homes but critics have called it a 'stealth tax in the making', while civil liberties groups have accused the Government of setting up a database on every citizen.

One company cashing in on the new legislation - announced last year by Housing Minister Yvette Cooper - claims to be training 1,500 inspectors in 'property health and safety risk assessment, collecting information from property owners, inspection routines and gathering evidence, report writing and condition-rating."

The firm, Home Inspectors. co.uk of Ramsgate, Kent, tells potential recruits: "One of the most exciting aspects of the new home inspector industry is the principle of Open Access which means that your route to becoming a Licensed Home Inspector does not require you to have any relevant surveying experience or academic qualifications."

Since November, the scheme has been tried out in Bath, Newcastle, Southampton, Northampton, Huddersfield, Cambridge, Southwark, South London, and Gwynedd, North Wales.

Campaigners see it as another step towards a "Big Brother' society which would allow dozens of Whitehall departments to share information.

In another development, thousands of council workers are being trained to impose £50 on-the-spot fines on anyone breaching the smoking ban which comes into force on July 1.

Staff will have the power to enter an estimated 3.7million restaurants, shops and workplaces in England.

The move follows the furore over microchips in wheelie bins that are capable of weighing rubbish left out for collection. The concern is that they will help local authorities gather information about the habits of individual households.

Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday has learned that Britain's 100-strong army of minimum wage inspectors could be boosted by up to 50 per cent after the Budget, expected next month.

The enforcement teams are keen to bring more criminal prosecutions against employers 'as a matter of urgency', according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

During 2005-2006, inspectors completed just under 5,000 investigations.

Most cases are sorted out without legal action, although inspectors are able to pursue employers for arrears through the civil justice system and, criminal prosecutions.

The Treasury said: "The Government is determined to ensure that the minimum wage is properly enforced."