In April the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices increased to 107.24 from 104.83 in March, an increase of 2.3 per cent over the previous month. This primarily reflected an increase of 10.9 per cent in the Restaurants and Hotels Index, mainly due to seasonal price rises in hotel rates.

The Education Index registered an increase of 3.2 per cent, due to higher school and private tuition fees. Seasonal price rises in respect of garments underlay an increase of 2.8 per cent in the Clothing and Footwear Index.

The Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas & Other Fuels Index went up by 1.2 per cent, mainly on account of higher prices for services related to the maintenance and repair of dwellings.

Higher prices of package holidays caused the Recreation and Culture Index to increase by 0.7 per cent.

An increase in the prices of diesel and kerosene caused the Transport Index to shift up by 0.6 per cent.

A 0.2 per cent increase in the Furniture, Household Equipment & Routine Maintenance of the House Index was brought about by higher prices of household textiles and appliances. Likewise, price rises in dwelling accessories brought about an increase of 0.1 per cent in the Miscellaneous Goods and Services Index.

The Health Index decreased by 0.8 per cent due to price reductions in hospital services. The Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages Index dropped by 0.7 per cent, mainly on account of lower-priced vegetables.

In April, the twelve-month moving average rate of inflation stood at 1.9 per cent, whereas the annual rate stood at 4.1 per cent,