The annual rate of inflation came in at 2.2% in July, new figures from the Central Statistics Office show today, unchanged from a month earlier.
The CSO said that inflation, as measured by the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), which strips out mortgage interest costs, was unchanged at 1.5% year-on-year, in line with flash data from earlier this month.
Today’s CSO figures show that prices in the transport sector rose by 5.5% on the back of a near 12% hike in diesel prices and an 8.8% rise in petrol prices. Prices in restaurants and hotels also rose by 4.3% on the same time last year.
The divisions which recorded the biggest declines when compared with July last year included the clothing and footwear sector, with prices down 4.9% while and furnishings and household equipment prices were down 1%.
On a monthly basis, the CSO said that consumer prices in July rose by 0.2% from June. The biggest monthly price changes were increases in recreation and culture, which rose by 3%, due to an increase in the cost of package holidays. Transport costs were up by 1.9% in July compared to June.
But clothing and footwear prices were down 6.2% in July compared to June.
Article Source – Annual inflation flat at 2.2% in July – CSO – RTE
