THE volume of Northern Ireland's construction output declined by 5.4 per cent to £452 million in the second quarter of 2013. It ended a run of six months of positive reports on the state of the sector. The figures, released by the department of finance and personnel, also showed output was down 5.1 per cent on the same period in 2012. Output is 40 per cent down on levels recorded just prior to the economic downturn six years ago. In the same quarter, the sector in Britain experienced positive growth with overall construction output increasing by 2 per cent compared to the previous quarter.