Total stocks held by industry decreased by €113.9m in the fourth quarter of 2005, following a decrease of €284.2m in the third quarter.
The principal reason for the fourth-quarter change was a decrease of €204.6m in work-in-progress, says the Central Statistics Office.
The breakdown of the components of stocks shows an increase of €98.8m in stocks of materials and fuel held in NACE 30, the office machinery and computers sector, in the fourth quarter of 2005, following an increase of €23.6m in the previous quarter
There was an increase of €51.7m in stocks of finished goods held in NACE 22, the publishing and printing sector, in the fourth quarter, following an increase of €28.9m in the previous quarter.
Stocks of work-in-progress goods held in NACE 24, the chemical products sector, which had decreased by €351.4m in the third quarter, decreased by €140.7m in the fourth quarter of 2005.