Ireland In Top 5 Most Expensive

It has been revealed that last year Ireland was the fifth most expensive country in the EU.

Analysis by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) placed Ireland as most expensive just behind Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg and Sweden.

The report titled 'Measuring Ireland's Progress 2010' has also uncovered a fall in consumer prices over the last two years. But the CSO said Irish prices are still 18% above the average EU prices.

"This is a considerable improvement on 2009, when Irish prices were second highest in the EU behind Denmark, and 26% above the EU average," say the CSO researchers.

The rise in inflation follows higher prices for clothing, footwear, petrol and energy.

Meanwhile the report notes that Ireland remained in recession in 2010 and the deficit was "by far" the highest of any EU member state.With negative growth of -0.4% it was the third consecutive year of negative growth.

The report has also followed employment trends into 2010.

It places the productivity of the Irish workforce in 2010 at just over a third higher than the EU average. It is understood that Irish employees work longer hours meaning the productivity per hour worked is relatively lower, but still about 23% above the EU average.

In 2010, Ireland’s employment rate was below the EU average, and its unemployment rate was the sixth highest rate in the EU.

In terms of education the report said Ireland had the second highest class sizes at primary level in the EU- with an average 24.2 pupils per class.

Meanwhile the CSO found kidnapping and related offences almost doubled between 2005 and 2009.

Controlled drug offences were up by almost two thirds, while the number of weapons and explosives offences increased by more than half. However, the number of murders and manslaughters decreased from a peak of 84 in 2007 to 60 in 2009.

(LB/CD)