2,783 companies and businesses were set up in Ireland last month (between the 1st and 26th) - an average of 107 per day.

1,233 of these were companies - a rise of just over 12% on the same period in 2013. Just over 23% of these were in the professional services sector. 93 start-ups chose to operate in the construction sector - an increase of 48% on May 2013.

Dublin remains the most popular location for start-ups in Ireland and this year has accounted for 48% of all new companies formed.

The courts awarded 331 bad debt judgments worth almost E19.3m against individuals and companies in April this year. The majority of these judgments were against consumers (226 judgments worth E14.6m).

However, when compared to April 2013, this represents a drop of 35% on the number of judgments awarded (521) and a decrease of 53% on the value of judgments awarded (E51.4m).