Morning Focus began with recordings taken from a Kilrush meeting on Shannondoc changes. As you'll have heard on our News service, a campaign for the full restoration of out-of-hours GP services in Clare is gaining momentum. It follows a reduction of cover in Kilrush, Killaloe and Ennistymon, due to a lack of GP availability. While a remote tele-doc service is being introduced in Kilrush, concerns continue locally about its effectiveness as an alternative to a face-to-face consultation. On Friday night last (Nov. 11), there was a large turnout at a public meeting on the issue.
Gavin then turned to increased rent prices. It's no secret at this stage that the cost of renting a home continues to rise, with a knock-on impact on issues including the overall cost of living and homelessness. Over the last three months, rents in this county rose by almost 11 percent (according to Daft.ie). While the government is in the process of introducing measures to tackle the problem, there's still no indication that rent certainty will be introduced. Getting a guarantee on rent levels is the aim of a public meeting that's to take place in this region next Thursday. The Secure Rent Campaign has organised the meeting for renters in Munster and it takes place at the IMPACT trade union off in Limerick from 7pm. **The campaign wants rents to be linked to the cost of living – Consumer Price Index, to revoke the right of landlords to evict tenants for the purpose of sale, and to move from current 4 year leases to indefinite lease terms. The campaign is a partnership between the Communication Workers Union (CWU), IMPACT Trade Union, Mandate Trade Union, SIPTU, Unite the Union and the people-power campaign organisation Uplift. Joe O’Connor, Lead Organiser, IMPACT joined Gavin on the line.
Morning Focus then turned to the topic of drugs and alcohol. Many of us know only too well the impact that drug and alcohol addiction can have. To raise awareness of the support services available in this county and elsewhere, the Mid West Regional Drugs & Alcohol Forum (MWRDAF), will today (Mon. Nov. 14) launch their second Drugs & Alcohol Awareness week. The initiative will be launched officially by Fr. Peter McVerry, founder of the Peter McVerry Trust. The aim of the week is to increase awareness of drugs and alcohol related issues, with each day being associated with a particular theme including Mental Health, Community, Family, Young People and Health & Well-being. Gearoid Prendergast, coordinator at Midwestern Regional Drugs Task Force.
We then had our weekly Garda Focus, this week Garda Michael Daniels came on the show.
Following this we had a pre record of the council’s budget meeting from Ronan Moyles.
Next on the show we had a package from Michael Glynn on the unveiling of a Viet Nam memorial in Ennis.
Leaving Cert students may soon get CAO points for being active as part of the government’s plan to tackle obesity. The Programme for Government pledges to “support the introduction of a new Leaving Certificate PE syllabus, as a full optional subject”. Last week the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment approved PE as a Leaving Cert subject, with the date for its introduction to be agreed. It's likely to a strong practical element and will be offered at Honours and Pass levels. Gavin was joined on the line by Brendan O’Malley, Cree, and President of the PE Association of Ireland.
Following this we had our Monday Sports Panel with Clare FM’s Derrick Lynch and Jim Madden, FAI Delegate, Clare Soccer League.
Gavin’s next guest is one of Ireland's best-loved authors with a gift for creating heart-warming tales of modern Irish life. Cathy Kelly is published around the world with millions of books in print. Her latest novel 'The Secrets of a Happy Marriage' is already a best-seller. Cathy joined Gavin on the line.
To finish up we had Dr Daniel Jones, Head of R and D with Revive Active, on to tell us what to eat for a healthy brain.
