Consumer Prices in December, as measured by the CPI, increased by 0.3% in the month. This compares to a decrease of 0.1% in December of last year and as a result, the annual rate of inflation rose to 4.9%, up from 4.4% in November 2006.
These were partially offset by decreases in Clothing & Footwear (-2.1%) and Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance (-1.4%).
Clothing & Footwear prices decreased by 0.3% in the month and by 2.1% in the year to December 2006. In the month, clothing prices decreased by 0.2% while footwear prices decreased by 0.6%.
This category also covers Clothing & Footwear services such as dry cleaning. The services element for clothing increased by 0.9% while footwear repair & hire costs increased by 0.8% in the month.
Furnishings, Household Equipment & Routine Household Maintenance costs increased by 0.1% in the month and decreased by 1.4% in the year to December 2006. This compares to a decrease of 1.2% for the year to December 2005.
Central Statistics Office Ireland
marketing@alchempro.com
