Construction output in December rose by 1.8% compared with November, largely due to an increase in new work. Private commercial work was one of the main drivers behind the month-on-month growth, expanding by 5.2%.

The underlying pattern suggested by the three month movement shows growth of 0.2% in output, revised up from 0.1% in the previous preliminary estimate of GDP.

Compared with December 2015, output was up by 0.6%, the biggest contribution to this growth coming from new housing.

Government spend on infrastructure continued its decline, falling for the eleventh consecutive month.