Do I detect the smell of burning lingerie?

On 16 May Yvette Cooper (Minister for Housing and Planning) stated in the House of Commons that "According to the latest estimates, 2,000 energy assessors will be needed at the beginning of June, rising to 2,500 by the end of the month. More than 2,200 have passed their examinations, and over 3,000 more are in training. Of those, around 1,100 are accredited or their accreditation is currently being processed." Yesterday, 22 May, Ruth Kelly (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) admitted that there weren't enough assessors trained and accredited "There are over 2,500 people currently in training. A further 3,200 have already passed their home inspector or domestic energy assessor exams. Of those, 1,500 have been accredited or have applied for accreditation, but only 520 have been fully accredited".

Now if on 22 May there are only 520 fully accredited assessors, how many of the 1,100 mentioned by Yvette Cooper as being accredited or having their accreditation processed were in the former rather than the latter camp at the time? Was Yvette Cooper trying to pull the wool over our eyes in the style of her husband's boss? On 6 May did the Government really think that the balance of the 1,100 would all be fully accredited by 1 June along with another 900 who had passed their exams but not yet applied for accreditation? How long does the accreditation process take?

It is nice to see that Ruth Kelly has all the aptitude for this area of her responsibility that her predecessor had. In case you didn't know, HIPs were designed when this policy area came under the purview of the ODPM (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister).