Significant fall in industrial production

INDUSTRIAL production in the Irish economy is faltering, with a fall in the pharmaceutical, medicinal chemicals and computer sectors, according to figures released yesterday by the Central Statistics Office.

The figures show industrial production in the three months to September grew by just 0.8% on the proceeding months. However, provisional figures for September show production fell by 2.9% compared to September 2002.

There was a dramatic fall in the production of ‘office machinery and computers’ in August, with provisional figures, which are sometimes adjusted later, showing a fall of 24.3%. The sector enjoyed a 5.5% increase in production in the quarter to the end of August.