Morning Focus – Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Morning Focus opened with the breaking news that several people had been killed after blasts in Brussels.
In addition to two blasts at the airport in the Belgian capital, news emerged of an explosion at Maelbeek Metro station. 
Gavin spoke to Eoin Keane, from Kilmihil, who is based in Brussels, about the high state of alert in the city. 
there was growing speculation over who will support a Fine Gael led minority government both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are continuing talks with independents. For an update on the state of play between the parties and the Independent TDs, Gavin spoke to Kevin Doyle, Group Political Editor, Indpendent News & Media.
A number of local authority members are seeking a  40 per cent pay hike for council members.
The Association of Local Goverment in Ireland is seeking the increase, which would see councillors' income go from just over 16-thousand Euro per year, to 23-thousand.
To discuss the issue, Gavin spoke to Cllr Michael Begley, FG Killaloe MD and Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy, FF, Ennis MD.
Morning Focus looked at new research on grandparents supporting drug-addicted children. With the cost and availability of childcare an ongoing difficulty for many parents, grandparents are increasingly called on to lend a hand, and there's nothing unusual in that. However, when a family is faced with the challenge of drug abuse or alcoholism, grandparents can find themselves shouldering a heavier burdern than normal. New research from the National Family Support Network (NFSN) explores the experiences of grandparents caring as a result of parental substance
misuse and finds they're at increased risk of financial difficulties, relationship issues and mental health problems. The study found that grandparents who have assumed full-time care of children of drug-using parents also felt, in some cases,  feel they were being taken for granted by social services, when they sought support. 
Ahead of launch of the resarch by the NFSN and Trinity College Dublin, Gavin spoke to one of its authors, Community Development Worker, Megan O'Leary. 
Morning Focus returend to the issue of care for under 5s at the Local Injury Unit (LIU) at Ennis General Hospital. 
This followed the story told on Monday's Morning Focus, of Ballynacally mum Caroline who shared her recent experience of taking her 18-month old daughter to the Local Injuries Unit at Ennis General Hospital. 
Caroline's daughter Millie had been turned away, after receiving a gash to her face, because it's not hospital policy to treat under 5s. UL Hospitals group told us that, like other Local Injury Units around the country, the facility in Ennis only provides services to people aged 5 and over and a publicity campaign has been undertaken to make the public aware of this. To discuss the operation of the LIU in Ennis, Gavin spoke to Dr Cormac Mehigan, Emergency Medicine Consultant, UL Hospitals Group
A remarkable archaeological discovery in a cave in this county has pushed back the date of human existence in Ireland by 2,500 years.
The discovery re-writes Irish archaeology and adds an entirely new chapter to human colonisation of the island – moving Ireland’s story into a new era.
Radiocarbon dating of a butchered brown bear bone, which had been stored in a cardboard box at the National Museum of Ireland since 1903, has established that humans were on the island of Ireland some 12,500 years ago – 2,500 earlier than previously believed.
This is a major breakthrough for archaeologists who have spent decades searching for earlier signs of human occupation on the island. The latest discovery was made by Dr Marion Dowd, an archaeologist at IT Sligo, and Dr Ruth Carden, a Research Associate with the National Museum of Ireland. Gavin spoke to Dr Marion Dowd, Lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology, School of Science Institute of Technology Sligo.
A staggering total of 38 children were killed on Irish roads over the last five years (2010-2015). And, according to figures from the Road Safety Authority (RSA), over 40 percent of those tragic fatalities happened in built up areas. 
As the schools around the country prepare to close for the Easter holidays the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has today launched a series of videos focusing on child safety on or near driveways and in housing estates. With brighter evenings and better weather, the videos aim to give parents and guardians the tools to help keep their children safe. Gavin spoke with Brian Farrell Communications Manager, Road Safety Authority of Ireland (RSA).
Forty percent of Irish kids will receive around 5 Easter eggs – with one in ten getting up to 15.
Five large easter eggs contains almost 250 teaspooons of sugar, while there are 60 teaspoons worth in five smaller eggs.
Three quarters of mums admit to intercepting some of their child's chocolate eggs and rationing their chocolate intake, according to research for MummyPages.ie. Gavin spoke with Lauren Haugh of MummyPages.ie.