Construction orders improve

New orders for construction work continued to improve between December and February with the private industrial sector making the most headway with a 40% increase on the previous three months and a 28% increase on the same period last year - but orders are still well down on last year.

According to the latest DoE figures, February was a particularly good month with large increases for the private industrial and private commercial sectors as well as a much improved public housing figure.

However new orders between December and February were 23% lower than in the same period last year.

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors welcomed the improved month-on-month figures but said it was not enough to stimulate the construction industry. The Institution warned against any rise in the interest rates, which it said would depress the construction market 'in the extreme'.

The private housing sector is still in the doldrums with new orders down 12% on the previous three months and down 12% on the same period last year. And despite showing a month-on-month improvement, public housing orders are down 6% on the last three months and 20% down on the same period last year. Similarly private commercial orders are showing an improvement but are 11% lower compared with the previous three months and 22% lower than the same period last year.