Pat Breen
Ceist:194 Mr. P. Breen asked the Minister for Finance his estimate of the index of price inflation in the public capital programme in 2002; and his forecast for this index in 2003. [5440/03]
Written Answers - Price Inflation.
The price deflator for overall investment in the economy was estimated by my Department at budget time last December to have risen by 3.9% in 2002. This was composed of a 5% increase in the building and construction deflator and a 1.5% increase in the machinery and equipment deflator. The deflators used in producing the Exchequer element of the 2002 public capital programme were building and construction of 6% and machinery and equipment of 2.5%.
For 2003, it was forecast by my Department at budget time that the overall economy-wide investment deflator will rise by 2.5%, consisting of a 3% rise in the building and construction deflator together with a 1.5% rise in the machinery and equipment deflator. The deflators used in producing the Exchequer element of the 2003 public capital programme were building and construction of 5% and machinery and equipment of 1.5%.