British GDP registers 0.5pc rise in Q3

LONDON, Nov 1 (Xinhua): Britain saw its GDP grew 0.5 per cent in the third quarter of 2011, according to the preliminary estimate of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released Tuesday. This has been a boost from the 0.1-per cent increase for the second quarter, mainly thanks to growth in production and service sectors. Output of the production sector increased by 0.5 per cent in the third quarter, compared with a fall of 1.2 per cent in the previous quarter, while the service sector saw an increase of 0.7 per cent, higher than the 0.2-per cent rise in the previous period, according to the ONS. However, the construction sector shrank 0.6 per cent from July to September, compared with a 1.1-per cent growth in the second quarter.