DUBLIN: The average prices of goods and services in Ireland, as measured by consumer price index (CPI), were 7 per cent higher in April, marking the largest annual CPI increase since November 2000, said the country's Central Statistics Office (CSO).
In November 2000, the annual inflation rate in the country also stood at 7 per cent, Xinhua news agency quoted the CSO as saying.
In April, the largest annual increases in prices were recorded in the transport sector (up 18.9 per cent) and the sector of housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (up 17.1 per cent), it said.
In response to the rising cost of living, the Irish government has taken a number of measures including reducing fuel taxes and providing subsidies for household electricity and gas bills.