The Government has moved to allay fears it is unprepared for a chemical or biological catastrophe in the wake of Minister of State Mr Joe Jacob’s less than reassuring performance when interviewed on RTÉ radio this morning.
Mr Jacobs performance on the radio resulted in opposition calls for him to be sacked for what Fine Gael frontbencher Mr Charlie Flanagan described as a "disgraceful show of incompetence on the issue of a national emergency response".
In a statement issued this evening the Government outlined what procedures were already in place in the event of a nuclear emergency and how they were being reviewed and updated to incorporate chemical or biological attacks.
"While there is no reason to believe that Ireland will be the subject of a chemical or biological attack, it was considered prudent in the light of the recent escalation of the terrorist threat, to review emergency plans and update them to take account of those threats," the statement said.
The Government said detailed arrangements already existed under the National Emergency Plan for Nuclear Accidents for monitoring the dispersal of radioactive particles, for early warning of the public and for keeping the public informed.
"All of these are procedures and structures which will be extended and adapted for chemical and biological threats and arrangements have now been put in place for a Committee of Ministers to also oversee the response to any chemical or biological threat."
The statement also said because of the unique nature of chemical or biological emergencies additional response measures were required. These included medical responses, knowledge on dispersal/transmission characteristics and technical expertise.
The Government said the Department of Health and Children was liasing with the World Health Organisation to co-ordinate a response to any outbreak of infectious disease.