Industrial production was up 9 per cent in volume in June, compared with the same month a year earlier.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, for the three months to the end of June volume was 3 per cent below the figure for the previous quarter. According to the earliest global estimate for July, industrial production was 9.9 per cent ahead of July 1998.

Production of office and data processing machinery accounted for half the overall yearly increase with pharmaceuticals accounting for 40 per cent of the increase.