If construction and figures for the economy in general have been getting you down lately, take heart from the latest report on construction starts from Glenigan.

It says the value of starts in the three months to April was 23% up on both the preceding three months and the same three months a year ago.

There has been firm growth in residential and non-residential project starts, with private housing, industrial and commercial particularly strong.

A sharp rebound in civil engineering projects has also boosted overall starts.

Figures for construction output for the quarter are not so encouraging. The Office for National Statistics report of 13 May shows a drop in new work of 0.6% compared with the previous quarter while repair & maintenance (R&M) decreased by 1.9%.

Compared with the first quarter last year, January to March this year saw an overall decrease of 1.9%.

For the month of March, construction output decreased by 3.6% compared with February and decreased by 4.5% compared with March last year.