FIGURES from the Department of the Environment show that the

construction industry, one of the hardest hit victims of the recession,

suffered a 19% provisional, seasonally-adjusted fall in orders between

the first and second quarters of 1992. They were also down 18% on the

same period of 1991.

New orders in the private housing sector in the second quarter were 2%

lower than in the previous quarter and 13% lower than the corresponding

period of last year.

Public housing and housing association orders in the latest quarter

were 33% down than in the previous quarter but 36% higher than in the

same quarter of 1991.

Elsewhere, private industrial orders fell 29% over the two quarters

and were 28% lower than a year earlier. The pattern was repeated with

private commercial orders, down 29% and 28% respectively.

New orders in the public works sector in the second quarter of 1992

were 7% lower than in the previous quarter and 8% down on the comparable

period a year ago.