inflation up in May.

Price tags on new cars shot up by nearly ten percent in the last year, the Finance Ministry Statistics Department announced yesterday.

But lower prices for cosmetics and over-the-counter medicines helped offset the increases.

In the 12 months to May, the annual rate of inflation was 2.9 percent, compared with 2.7 percent recorded in the previous 12 month period to April 1993.

The Transport and Vehicles sector advanced 0.7 percent, mainly in response to increases in the cost of owning and operating a private car.

Gas prices moved up 0.8 percent in May, while show room prices of new cars advanced 0.5 percent. And repair and maintenance costs jumped by 4.6 percent.

The Food sector, which saw higher prices for items such as cookies, roast beef, cottage cheese, jams and marmalades, rose by 0.4 percent.

The above increases were offset by decreases in the prices of pasta (down nearly five percent), lamb legs, chicken pieces and frozen peas.

Only a 0.3 percent increase was recorded in the Fuel and Power sector, in response to rising electricity and cooking gas costs.

Prices in the Health and Personal Care sector eased back 0.1 percent.