P203 CEEFAX 2 203 Fri 17 Jan 21:14/25 O SPENDING ON PLASTIC HITS NEW HIGH 1/3 Credit and debit card spending reached a record-breaking £9bn in December — 20% higher than in the previous year. The Christmas spending spree brought total "plastic" spending for 1996 to £85bn — 23% up on 1995, according to the Credit Card Research Group. Shoppjts appeared to have planned ahead bz spreading the cost of Christmas over three months. This lid to a lower-than-average rise in spending in December (12%), but higher increases in the quartet to December (17%). Headlines 200 Commodities 246 Savings 250 Front page 100 Next News TV/Radio Markets Main MenuP203 CJEFAX 2 203 Fri 17 Jan 21:27/27 BUILDING INDUSTRY ACTIVITY ON THE 2/3 The workload in Britain's construction industry has risen to its highest level since 1993 and is set to improve furthjt, according to a survey. It grew by 2.4% in Q4 1996, the third consecutive quarterly rise, and rose 4% on the year, said the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The proportion of surveyors anticipating increased levels of employment in the industry in 1997 was at its most positive for four years. The industry had made "remarkable" progress during 1996, said the TICS. Headlines 200 Commodities 246 Savings 250 Front page 100 Next News TV/Radio Markets Main MenuP203 CEEFAX 2 203 Fri 17 Jan 21:17/21 PSBR HITS HIGHER-THAN-EXPECTED £2 3/3 The Govjtnmjnt had to borrow £2.119bn in December to plug the gap between expenditure and revenue — almost twice City expectations — figures show. Analysts had forecast a public sector borrowing requirement of around £1.3bn for the month. But the Treasury said the data was "entirely consistent" with its own Budget forecasts. The cumulative deficit for April to December was £16.136bn, compared with a Government forecast for the year to April 1997 of £26.4bn. Headlines 200 Commodities 246 Savings 250 Front page 100 Next News TV/Radio Markets Main Menu