On the up: Overall consumer prices recorded a 2.2% year-on-year increase in October.

Consumer prices grew 2.2% year-on-year in October, following a 0.5% rise in September, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

Netting out the effects of the Government's one-off relief measures, the year-on-year rate of change in the composite consumer price index in October was -0.3%, the same as September.

On a seasonally adjusted basis the average monthly rate of change in the composite consumer price index for August to October was 0.4%, which compared to -0.3% for the period from July to September.

Netting out the effects of the Government's one-off relief measures, the average monthly rate of change in the underlying composite consumer price index for the period from August to October was 0.1%, and that for the period from July to September was virtually nil.

The department said the notable increase in the headline consumer price inflation in October in year-on-year terms was due to the low base created in the same month last year by the Government's payment of public housing rentals and the electricity charge subsidy.

Netting the effects of the one-off measures, the underlying inflation rate remained slightly negative in October as price pressures were virtually absent, the department said, adding the recent stable movements of the underlying composite consumer price index on a seasonally adjusted basis suggest deflationary pressures should remain contained.

Year-on-year increases were recorded in electricity, gas and water (26.7%), alcohol and tobacco (22.1%), housing (6.1%), clothing and footwear (4.7%), miscellaneous goods (1.3%) and meals bought away from home (0.7%).

Decreases were recorded in durable goods (-2.8%), food excluding meals bought away from home (-2.3%), transport (-2%) and miscellaneous services (-1.2%).

Taking the first ten months together, the composite consumer price index rose by 0.4% over a year earlier. For the three months ended October, the index recorded a 0.4% year-on-year increase.