Inflation rate ticks up again for the third straight month

Higher transport and restaurant costs saw inflation rate rise from 1.4% in December to 1.9% in January

Prices in restaurants and hotels rose by 3.9% in the year to the end of January — the joint-highest increase along with transport costs. 

The annual rate of inflation ticked up during January to 1.9%, with the largest increases being seen in transport costs, as well as prices in hotels and restaurants, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows.

If price-volatile categories such as energy and unprocessed food were excluded, prices rose 2.5% in the year to the end of January. During December, the inflation rate stood at 1.4%.