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For more information on this release:
E-mail: business_stats@cso.ie Colin Hanley (+353) 21 453 5559 Eamonn Cleary (+353) 21 453 5483
For general information on CSO statistics:
information@cso.ie (+353) 21 453 5000 On-line ISSN

COVID-19 Release Information

This release has been compiled during the COVID-19 crisis. The results contained in this release reflect some of the economic aspects of the COVID-19 situation.

It is important to note that the results presented in the survey represent responding enterprises only. The CSO acknowledges that non-response may be related to whether businesses are adversely impacted by COVID-19. If this were the case, there is potential for bias in these estimates that weighting procedures would not correct for. As such, the results presented here are unweighted.

For further information see Background Notes. Business Impact of COVID-19

CSO statistical release, , 11am

Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey

2020

Trading status of responding enterprises on 28 June 2020
 % of responding enterprises
SectorTradingCeased trading, (temporarily or permanently)
Industry98.41.6
Construction80.319.7
Wholesale and Retail97.12.9
Accommodation and Food Services37.162.9
All other Services93.36.7
Total92.17.9

Over nine in ten enterprises were trading on 28 June

Figure 1: Trading status of responding enterprises on 28 June 2020
go to full release

The Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey (BICS) has been created to measure and report quickly on the impact of COVID-19 on business in Ireland. The fourth wave of the survey was collected in the week commencing 29 June 2020.

A total of 3,000 enterprises were surveyed online for the fourth wave of the BICS, with 27.1% of sampled enterprises completing the survey. The survey reports:

  • Over nine in ten (92.1%) of responding enterprises were trading in some capacity on 28 June 2020.
  • Less than one in twelve (7.9%) had ceased trading, either temporarily or permanently.
  • Of the enterprises that responded to the survey, 7.4% had ceased trading temporarily while 0.5% had ceased trading permanently. See Figure 1 and Headline Table.

For further information, see Infographic

 

Please note that not all businesses may be in a position to respond to the Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey. Therefore, the results will only reflect the characteristics of those who responded.
X-axis labelTradingCeased trading temporarily or permanently
Industry98.41.6
Construction80.319.7
Wholesale and Retail97.12.9
Accommodation and Food
Services		37.162.9
All other Services93.36.7

Most responding Wholesale and Retail enterprises were trading

  • Almost all (97.1%) of responding enterprises in the Wholesale and Retail sector were trading in some capacity on 28 June 2020.
  • More than three in every five (62.9%) of enterprises in Accommodation and Food Services had ceased trading, either temporarily or permanently, compared to 6.7% for all other Services.
  • Four in five (80.3%) of enterprises in the Construction sector were trading in some capacity on 28 June 2020.
  • The Industrial sector at 98.4% had the highest proportion of enterprises trading. See Figure 2 and Headline Table.
X-axis labelRestarted trading
Industry26.9
Construction46.7
Wholesale and Retail33
Services28.1
Total31.3

Almost a third of responding enterprises restarted trading in June

  • More than three in ten (31.3%) of responding enterprises indicated that they had restarted trading during the four-week period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • More than four in ten (44.5%) micro enterprises had restarted trading in June.
  • Almost half (46.7%) of responding enterprises in the Construction sector restarted trading in this four-week period.
  • A third (33.0%) of enterprises in the Wholesale and Retail sector had also restarted trading in June.
  • In total, 28.1% of responding Services enterprises had restarted trading in June. See Figure 3 and Table 1.
X-axis label1 Jun-28 Jun29 Jun-26 Jul
75 to 100% less than normal12.810.1
50 to 74% less than normal1212.4
25 to 49% less than normal21.817.9
10 to 24% less than normal1520
At or close to normal expectation28.233.6
Higher than normal10.25.9

Six in ten enterprises had lower than normal turnover from 1 June to 28 June 2020

  • Six in ten (61.6%) responding enterprises had lower than normal turnover for the four-week period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • Nearly three in ten (28.2%) enterprises reported turnover at or close to normal expectations, while one in ten (10.2%) had a higher than normal turnover for the period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • All respondents in Accommodation and Food Services and 82.4% of those in the Construction sector reported lower than normal turnover.
  • One in five (21.4%) enterprises in the Wholesale and Retail sector had higher than normal turnover for the period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • Over the same period, a higher proportion of foreign owned enterprises (44.2%) had reported normal turnover compared to 23.8% of Irish owned enterprises.
  • When estimating the impact on turnover for the following four weeks (29 June to 26 July), one in three (33.6%) of responding enterprises expected to have close to normal turnover compared to 5.9% expecting higher than normal turnover.
  • Three in five (60.4%) enterprises estimated lower than normal turnover for the same period. See Figure 4 and Table 2.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		IncreasedNo change or decreasedDon't know
Industry2866.55.5
Construction34.460.74.9
Wholesale and Retail49.143.57.4
Services20.972.36.8
Total33.959.56.5

A third of enterprises had an increase in turnover since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on 8 June 2020 (Phase 2)

  • Turnover increased for one in three (33.9%) of responding enterprises since Phase 2 easing of restrictions on 8 June 2020.
  • Almost half (49.1%) of enterprises in the Wholesale and Retail sector reported an increase in turnover since 8 June 2020.
  • More than seven in ten (72.3%) enterprises in the Services sector indicated no change or a decrease in turnover from 8 June 2020 onwards.
  • More than a third (34.4%) of Construction enterprises and 28.0% of Industrial enterprises reported turnover increases since Phase 2 easing of restrictions. See Figure 5 and Table 3.
X-axis labelImportsExports
Decrease28.834.2
Increase7.27.9
Not affected54.249.1
Don't know9.98.9

Exports unaffected for nearly half of responding exporters

  • For the four-week period 1 June to 28 June 2020, almost half of exporting respondents (49.1%) reported that exports were not affected by the COVID-19 crisis while 34.2% reported a decrease in exports.
  • More than half (54.2%) of importing enterprises indicated that imports were not affected by the COVID-19 crisis during this four-week period while 28.8% reported a decrease in imports. See Figure 6 and Table 4.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Staff working at
their normal place
of work		Staff working
remotely		Not currently workingOther (deployed elsewhere etc.)
Micro (<10)59.815.916.67.7
Small (10-49)67.220.78.14
Medium (50-249)52.533.811.91.7
Large (250+)45.940.810.23.1
Total58.326.8113.9

Responding enterprises had an average of 58.3% of staff working at their normal place of work in the week ending 28 June 2020

  • Enterprises had an average of 58.3% of staff working at their normal place of work compared to 26.8% working remotely, while an average of 11.0% were not working.
  • Small enterprises had an average of 67.2% of staff at their normal place of work while large enterprises had an average of 45.9%.
  • Micro-enterprises had an average of 16.6% of staff not working while small enterprises had an average of 8.1%.
  • Large enterprise had an average of 40.8% of staff working remotely while micro enterprises had an average of 15.9%. See Figure 7 and Table 5.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Returned from temporary leave Returned from remote working
Micro (<10)28.210.1
Small (10-49)23.17
Medium (50-249)15.27.9
Large (250+)7.63.3
Total19.17.1

Responding enterprises had an average of 19.1% of workforce return from temporary leave

  • Responding enterprises had an average of 19.1% of their workforce return from temporary leave to their normal place of work in the four-week period up to 28 June 2020.
  • Micro enterprises had an average of 28.2% of their workforce returning from temporary leave, while large enterprises had an average of 7.6%.
  • Responding enterprises had an average of 7.1% of their workforce return from remote working to their normal place of work in the four-week period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • Micro enterprises had an average of 10.1% of staff returning from remote working compared to an average of just 3.3% for large enterprises. See Figure 8 and Table 5.
X-axis labelWorkplace measures
Staff remote working59.5
Rearranging workspace to facilitate social distancing78
Staggering shifts to facilitate social distancing38.6
Occupancy limits in the workplace41.7
Mandatory PPE (face covering, gloves, etc.) in the workplace46.7
Maintaining log of meeting to facilitate contact tracing42.7
Temperature screening30.4
Other10.1
No measures3

Three in ten enterprises used temperature screening in the workplace

  • Three in ten (30.4%) of responding enterprises used temperature screening in the workplace.
  • Almost half (46.7%) of enterprises required mandatory PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), such as gloves and facemasks in the workplace.
  • Almost four in five (78.0%) enterprises rearranged workspace while 59.5% had staff working remotely.
  • More than two in five (41.7%) introduced occupancy limits in the workplace and 42.7% were maintaining a log of meetings to facilitate contact tracing. See Figure 9 and Table 6.
X-axis labelMedian spend
Micro (<10)500
Small (10-49)4000
Medium (50-249)10000
Large (250+)42500

Large enterprises had a median spend of €42,500 on COVID-19 measures

  • Responding large enterprises had a median spend of €42,500 on measures to comply with COVID-19 requirements for trading.
  • Medium sized enterprises had a median spend of €10,000 on COVID-19 measures for trading.
  • The median spend of small enterprises on COVID-19 measures to comply with requirements for trading was €4,000, compared to €500 for micro enterprises. See Figure 10 and Table 7.

A third of enterprises reported lower than projected personnel costs

  • Almost a third (32.8%) of responding enterprises reported lower than projected personnel costs up to 28 June compared to original projections prior to the COVID-19 crisis, while 16.5% reported higher than projected personnel costs.
  • More than a quarter (28.8%) of enterprises had lower than projected non-personnel costs up to 28 June compared to original projections prior to the COVID-19 crisis, while 31.6% reported no change in non-personnel costs. See Figures 11a &11b and Table 8.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Personnel costs
50-100%
lower		7.9
20-50%
lower		12
Up to 20%
lower		12.9
No change37.5
Up to 20%
higher		14.5
Over 20%
higher		2
Don't know13.2
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		non-personnel costs
50-100%
lower		3.6
20-50%
lower		6.6
Up to 20%
lower		18.6
No change31.6
Up to 20%
higher		21.1
Over 20%
higher		2.3
Don't know16.3
X-axis labelMeasures taken
Deferred or changed loan repayments16.2
Deferred or changed property payments
(including rent, utilities and local authority rates)		22.8
Deferred or changed revenue payments25.2
Deferred or changed payments to suppliers20.4
Increased overdraft facilities7
Other6.3
No measures taken53.3

A quarter of enterprises deferred or changed revenue payments

  • A quarter (25.2%) of responding enterprises deferred or changed revenue payments in order to manage cashflow during the four-week period 1 June to 28 June 2020.
  • Over one fifth (22.8%) deferred or changed property payments, while 16.2% deferred or changed loan repayments to alleviate cashflow issues as a result of COVID-19.
  • More than a half (53.3%) of enterprises took no measures to manage cashflow. See Figure 12 and Table 9.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Innovations
Adopted new methods of providing products and services30.5
Adopted new methods of communication53.8
Introduced new products13.1
Repurposed production (e.g. to supply PPE, hand sanitiser, etc.)10.9
Other3.8

More than three in ten enterprises adopted new methods of providing products and services

  • More than half (53.8%) of responding enterprises have adopted new methods of communication in response to the COVID-19 crisis up to 28 June 2020.
  • More than three in ten (30.5%) of responding enterprises adopted new methods of providing products or services as a result of COVID-19. This increased to 43.0% for enterprises in the Wholesale and Retail sector.
  • More than one in ten (13.1%) of enterprises have introduced new products.
  • Over one in ten (10.9%) of responding enterprises had repurposed some production to supply products needed during the COVID-19 crisis, e.g. hand sanitiser, PPE, etc. This increased to 16.7% for enterprises in the Manufacturing sector. See Figure 13 and Table 10.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		SMEs (<250)Large (250+)Total
Decreased6.725.8
Increased4.43.44.2
No change72.784.674.9
Don't know16.210.115.1

Three quarters of responding enterprises reported no change in ability to access finance

  • Three quarters (74.9%) of responding enterprises indicated no change in their ability to access finance between 1 June and 28 June 2020. This increased to 84.6% for Large enterprises.
  • A decrease in access to finance was indicated by 6.7% of SMEs, while 3.4% of large companies who responded to the survey indicated that their access to finance had increased. See Figure 14 and Table 11.

Almost two thirds of responding enterprises expressed confidence in having financial resources to continue operating for longer than six months

  • Almost two thirds (63.7%) of responding enterprises expressed confidence in having the financial resources to continue operating for longer than six months.
  • Almost nine in ten (88.6%) of enterprises were confident that they have the financial resources to continue operating for at least another month.
  • However, 2.8% see their business continuing financially for less than a month. Of responding enterprises, 1.7% stated that they were confident that they have the financial resources to continue operating for less than one month, while 1.1% of respondents were not confident they have the financial resources to continue operating. See Figure 15 and Table 12.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Continue to operate
Up to 1 month1.7
Up to
3 months		12.5
Up to
6 months		12.4
Longer than
6 months		63.7
Not confident1.1
Don't know8.7

Nearly three in five enterprises availed of Government supports

  • Nearly three in five (59.4%) of responding enterprises have availed of Government supports during the COVID-19 crisis. This was higher for SMEs (62.5%) compared to large enterprises (45.6%).
  • Of those responding enterprises who availed of Government supports, more than half (55.6%) had availed of the Revenue Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme, while 11.2% availed of the COVID-19 Restart Grant from their Local Authority. See Figure 16 and Table 13.
For long labels below use
to display on multiple lines		Government
support
Yes59.4
No40.6
Table 1 Restarted trading in the four weeks 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020 by sector
Sector % of responding enterprises
Industry26.9
Construction46.7
Wholesale and Retail33.0
Services28.1
Total31.3
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL1 (XLS 9KB)
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Table 2 Estimated impact on turnover in the previous (1 Jun - 28 Jun) and forthcoming (29 Jun - 26 Jul) four week periods
 % of responding enterprises
Estimated impact on turnover1 Jun-28 Jun29 Jun-26 Jul
75-100% less than normal12.810.1
50-74% less than normal12.012.4
25-49% less than normal21.817.9
10-24% less than normal15.020.0
At or close to normal expectation28.233.6
Higher than normal10.25.9
Total100.0100.0
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL2 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 3 Change in turnover following phase two easing of restrictions on 8 Jun 2020 by sector
 % of responding enterprises
SectorIncreasedNo change or decreasedDon't know
Industry28.066.55.5
Construction34.460.74.9
Wholesale and Retail49.143.57.4
Services20.972.36.8
Total33.959.56.5
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL3 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 4 COVID-19 impact on international trade, 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Impact on international tradeExportsImports
Decrease34.228.8
Increase7.97.2
Not affected49.154.2
Don't know8.99.9
Total100.0100.0
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL4 (XLS 9KB)
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Table 5 Average percentage of workforce by location and size class in the week ending 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
LocationMicroSmallMediumLargeTotal
  (<10) (10-49)(50-249)(250+) 
Staff working at their normal place of work59.867.252.545.958.3
of which:     
            Returned from temporary leave (1 Jun - 28 Jun)28.223.115.27.619.1
            Returned from remote working (1 Jun - 28 Jun)10.17.07.93.37.1
Staff working remotely15.920.733.840.826.8
Not currently working16.68.111.910.211.0
Other (deployed elsewhere etc.)7.74.01.73.13.9
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL5 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 6 Workplace measures implemented due to COVID-19 up to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Staff remote working59.5
Rearranging workspace to facilitate social distancing78.0
Staggering shifts to facilitate social distancing38.6
Occupancy limits in the workplace41.7
Mandatory PPE (face covering, gloves, etc.) in the workplace46.7
Maintaining log of meeting to facilitate contact tracing42.7
Temperature screening30.4
Other10.1
No measures3.0
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL6 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 7 Median spend on measures to comply with COVID-19 requirements for trading
Size classMedian spend
Micro (<10)€500
Small (10-49)€4,000
Medium (50-249)€10,000
Large (250+)€42,500
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL7 (XLS 9KB)
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Table 8 Estimated change in operating costs up to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Estimated change in operating costsPersonnel costsNon-personnel costs
50-100% lower7.93.6
Between 20-50% lower12.06.6
Up to 20% lower12.918.6
No change37.531.6
Up to 20% higher14.521.1
More than 20% higher2.02.3
Don't know13.216.3
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL8 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 9 Measures taken to manage cashflow as a result of the COVID-19 crisis in the four weeks 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Deferred or changed loan repayments16.2
Deferred or changed property payments (including rent, utilities and local authority rates)22.8
Deferred or changed revenue payments25.2
Deferred or changed payments to suppliers20.4
Increased overdraft facilities7.0
Other6.3
No measures taken53.3
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL9 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 10 Innovations adopted due to COVID-19 up to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Adopted new methods of providing products and services30.5
Adopted new methods of communication53.8
Introduced new products13.1
Repurposed production to supply products needed during COVID-19 crisis (e.g. PPE, hand sanitiser or other in-demand products etc.)10.9
Other3.8
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL10 (XLS 9KB)
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Table 11 Changes in access to finance by size class, 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Access to financeSMEsLargeTotal
 (<250)(250+) 
Decreased6.72.05.8
Increased4.43.44.2
No change72.784.674.9
Don't know16.210.115.1
Total100.0100.0100.0
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL11 (XLS 10KB)
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Table 12 Confidence in financial resources to continue operating throughout the COVID-19 crisis, 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Up to 1 month1.7
Up to 3 months12.5
Up to 6 months12.4
Longer than 6 months63.7
Not confident1.1
Don't know8.7
Total100.0
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL12 (XLS 9KB)
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Table 13 Availing of Government supports, 1 Jun to 28 Jun 2020
 % of responding enterprises
Availed of Government support*59.4
of which: 
     Revenue Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme55.6
     COVID-19 Working Capital Loan Scheme (SBCI)2.3
     COVID-19 Business Financial Planning Grant (Enterprise Ireland)2.3
     Restart Grant (Local Authority)11.2
     Business Continuity Voucher (LEO)4.8
     Other5.2
Not availed of Government support40.6
Total100.0
* Note that some enterprises have availed of more than one type of government support.
Open in Excel: BIC192020WV04TBL13 (XLS 10KB)
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Background Notes

Introduction

The Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey (BICS) has been created to measure and report quickly on key features of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on business in Ireland.

The survey is being conducted online and covers a sample of approximately 3,000 enterprises. The first wave of the survey was collected in the week commencing 20 April 2020 while the second and third waves were collected in the weeks commencing 4 May and 2 June respectively. The fourth wave of the survey was issues on 29 June.

Wave  Response Rate
1 26.0%
2 24.5%
3 27.9%
4 27.1%


Statistical Confidentiality

The survey was collected from enterprises on a voluntary basis under Section 24 of the Statistics Act, 1993.

The information collected in the survey is confidential under the Statistics Act and will only be used by the Central Statistics Office for the compilation of aggregate statistics. The CSO has checked the statistical outputs of the survey to ensure that tables do not disclose details of any company. The raw data will not be shared with any other organisations.

The CSO would like to thank businesses that responded to the Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey.

Sample

The reporting statistical unit for the BICS is the enterprise. The sample size for the BICS is approximately 3,000 enterprises. The enterprise is defined as the smallest combination of legal units that is an organisational unit producing goods and/or services, which benefits from a certain degree of autonomy in decision-making.

There was a response rate of 27.1% to the fourth wave of the survey. It is important to note that the results of the survey apply to respondents only, and that no imputation or estimation procedures have been used in the case of non-response. The CSO acknowledges that not all businesses may be in a position to respond to the survey. Therefore, as the results of the survey are unweighted, they may only reflect the characteristics of those who have responded.

Enterprises of all size classes were surveyed. The sectors of economic activity included in the survey were determined in accordance with the NACE Rev. 2 classification scheme, which is the European Commission’s classification system for economic activity. The NACE Rev. 2 sectors included in the survey were as follows:

Sector B:          Mining and quarrying

Sector C:          Manufacturing

Sector D:          Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

Sector E:          Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

Sector F:          Construction

Sector G:          Wholesale and retail trade; Repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

Sector H:          Transportation and storage

Sector I:            Accommodation and food service activities

Sector J:           Information and communication

Sector K:           Financial and insurance activities

Sector L:           Real estate activities   

Sector M:          Professional, scientific and technical activities

Sector N:          Administrative and support service activities

Sector R:          Arts, entertainment and recreation

Sector S:          Other service activities

Please note that some more granular NACE Rev. 2 descriptions were also referenced in the text of this release. For further information on the NACE Rev. 2 classification scheme, please click Classifications

Data Collection and Questionnaire

The survey is collected via an online questionnaire. The topics covered are about how the COVID-19 crisis has affected business and what steps have been taken as a result – e.g. in relation to the level of business, workforce and organisational changes, access to finance, and availing of Government support schemes.

The following is a link to the questionnaire for each wave of the BICS survey:Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey

Output Classifications - Definitions

Size Class

For the BICS, the size class of an enterprise is determined by the number of persons engaged associated with the enterprise as follows:

Size Class  Number of Persons Engaged
Micro  0 - 9
Small  10 - 49
Medium  50 - 249
SMEs  0 - 249
Large  250+

A Small or Medium Enterprise (SME) is essentially an amalgamation of the Micro, Small and Medium categories, i.e. having 0-249 persons engaged.

Sector

In the above results, there are cases where several NACE Rev. 2 categories are presented in aggregate form as follows:

Sector    NACE Rev. 2 Category
Industry  B-E
Construction    F
Wholesale and Retail  G
Services  H-N, R-S

Note: Some of the data presenting in the release separate Accommodation and Food Services (NACE I) from Services.


Other Breakdowns 

Many of the breakdowns in this release are based on the enterprise’s own best estimate at a point in time. The qualitative nature of these breakdowns has been chosen to limit burden on respondents.

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Contact:

Central Statistics Office
Skehard Road, Cork T12 X00E, Ireland

Tel:
(+353) 21 453 5000
E-Mail:
information@cso.ie

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