Morning Focus opened with talk about the Public Sector. A group, representing Higher Civil and Public Servants, says people have to be paid appropriately – if you want to attract the best people into the public service. It comes as a new Ipsos/MRBI survey in the Irish Times shows Irish voters would rather hire more public servants than give out bigger salaries. The poll shows voters want more nurses, Gardaí and teachers and a greater spend on capital projects. But the AHCPS says pay restoration and increased public sector recruitment are inextricably linked.
Morning Focus opened with talk about the Public Sector. A group, representing Higher Civil and Public Servants, says people have to be paid appropriately – if you want to attract the best people into the public service. It comes as a new Ipsos/MRBI survey in the Irish Times shows Irish voters would rather hire more public servants than give out bigger salaries. The poll shows voters want more nurses, Gardaí and teachers and a greater spend on capital projects. But the AHCPS says pay restoration and increased public sector recruitment are inextricably linked. Their General Secretary is Ciaran Rohan and he joined Gavin on the line.
Next talk turned to crime. New figures show that the rate of burglaries, thefts and robberies in Clare is lower than the national average. The CSO statistics backup the assertion of local Gardaí that crime rates here are generally low, though motorists here are among the most likely to be caught breaking the law. These figures for 2014 are the most recent to compare crime rates, and detection rates, in each Garda Division. For Clare, they show the rate of Road and Traffic Offences is the highest of anywhere outside of Dublin, while the number of drugs offences recorded is the highest in Munster, outside of Cork City. While there has been concern about spikes in burglaries and thefts in recent years, they're still occurring less often here than is typically the case nationally. Less than a quarter of burglaries here are detected, but this is still higher than the average for the Western Region and all of Ireland. Clare Gardaí also had the highest rate of detections for sexual offences. Gavin was joined live in studio by Chief Superintendent John Kearn from the Clare Garda Devision.
Lots of us are in the midst of our Christmas shopping round about now, thinking of our friends and family. In this county, we've also used our seasonal gift purchases to benefit the developing world. Last year, for example, the people of Clare spent almost €8-thousand on Trocaire gifts and a further €8-thousand on Christmas appeal donations. This year the organisation's gifts and appeal focus on its work with refugees and other vulnerable groups throughout the developing world. Gavin was joined on the line by Eamon Meehan, Director General of Trocaire and a Kilmaley native.
Next on the show we had our weekly Garda Focus segment with Sergeant Joe Downey joining Gavin live in studio.
The life of the average teen is complex, let's face it. But consider for a minute, what life might been like for that youngster if they lived in the 16th or 17th century. My next guest has had the chance to consider this topic closely, after a major archaeological discovery five years ago in the Burren. Dr Marion Down has just published her findings (last Fri. Dec. 9) which follow forensic-level investigations on a skeleton found in Moneen Cave. Gavin was joined on the line by Dr Marion Dowd, Lecturer in Prehistoric Archeology at IT Sligo.
Gavin then spoke about families. Families are getting smaller, dads are more involved in child rearing and grandparents are more important than ever, according to a new study. 'Family Rhythms' is the title of research by NUI Maynooth and Trinity College Dublin and it points to an increasing diversity of family types, many of which have emerged as people respond to economic and social change. Professor Jane Grey, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology in NUI Maynooth, joined Gavin on the line.
Ads for junk food aimed at children have now been banned from social media and print in the UK. This is an aim to tackle childhood obesity which is a serious problem there but also in Ireland. Here the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland introduced bans on junk food advertising during children’s programmes on either TV or radio in 2013 but that still leaves a large area uncovered. There have been calls for Ireland to follow the UK’s lead. Gavin was joined on the line by Cliodhna Loughnane, Policy & Research Manager with the Irish Heart Foundation.
Next up we had our Monday Sports Panel, guests this week were Derrick Lynch, from Clare FM Sport, Richie Murphy from the Ennis Rugby Club and Marcus Horan, former prop for Munster and Ireland.
Next, talk turned to history. Are you a history buff? Or simply just the raconteur of your family? Everybody likes to know their family history and now it’s easier than ever. A unique new service, Histories in the Making, presents people’s family research in a readable and informative way, teaching one and all about their ancestors. To tell us more about it, Gavin was joined on the line by David Lawlor, a journalist and history blogger from Histories in the Making.
To finish the show, the topic chosen definitely takes the title of strange court case of the week. Sofia Vergara is being ‘sued by her embryos’. Two frozen embryos created with her ex-fiancée Nick Loeb are apparently ‘being denied their inheritance’ by not being allowed to be born. Gavin was joined on the line to give comment by Eoin Murphy, Entertainment Editor at the Irish Daily Mail.
