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Also, little is known about the new incumbents and their capabilities. And with Phil Hope seemingly appointed as an afterthought and on no pay, the rearrangement of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister seems to have been done on the hoof, as with the abolition of the Lord Chancellor's department.

Despite all that, there does seem to be a method in this madness and the new arrangements could actually be good for housing. Having two ministers with a housing and planning portfolio in the Commons – Keith Hill and Yvette Cooper – should give more muscle to getting homes built and the planning system reformed. And although Lord Rooker could be tied up with business in the Lords, it makes sense that his new brief combines regeneration and social exclusion. Although the two are inextricably linked, the policies relating to them can at times seem to run along parallel lines.

Tony McNulty's departure is disappointing, but from his new desk at the Department of Transport he can help bridge the gulf between Alistair Darling and John Prescott. And it can't do any harm that Yvette Cooper shares a roof with Treasury adviser Ed Balls – particularly now his boss is setting the goalposts of housing policy.

McNulty’s departure is disappointing, but from his new desk he can help bridge the gulf between Darling and Prescott

What is different for this latest intake to Eland House, however, is that the Communities Plan has set in stone the course for the new team to follow. The pressure is now on to deliver.

Pensions: This might hurt a bit …
Amid all the furore over pensions, there has been little open discussion about the difficulties faced by housing associations. And whereas local government will be exempt from the new compulsory insurance levy, housing associations will be obliged to conform.