Assurances from the Minister for Health that there were sufficient iodine tablets for citizens in the event of a nuclear accident have turned out to be incorrect.
Mr Martin said on Wednesday and again yesterday there were stocks of iodine tablets in all health board areas.
"They're stocked in the health boards in accordance with the 1992 plan and we have sufficient stock in all health board areas," he said.
However, when contacted yesterday by The Irish Times, a number of health boards said they had no usable stock.
Last night the Minister revised his earlier statement and said: "It has emerged that some health boards have disposed of their stocks as they were past their best-before date and these boards believed they were ineffective."
He stressed, however, he had given the earlier information in good faith.
Last night's statement said the Department was "currently finalising the necessary arrangements for the purchase of new stocks of iodine tablets for pre-distribution in the event of a national nuclear emergency".
A statement from the Eastern Regional Health Authority said: "A large stock of iodine tablets is held in the eastern region, sufficient to cover those who might require it in the region.
"Although this stock has passed the use-by date, it has been tested regularly and is still effective".
A spokeswoman for the North Western Health Board said: "In accordance with the national emergency plan of a nuclear accident, we did receive stocks of potassium iodide tablets.
"These tablets have been out of date for some time, although this does not necessarily mean they are ineffective."
A spokeswoman for the South Eastern Health Board said the board had no in-date iodine tablets.
She said the board received a delivery around 1988, after the Chernobyl disaster, but these stocks were now out of date.
The Southern Health Board said it had no usable iodine at present. "The board is waiting for direction from the Department of Health and Children on the sourcing of fresh iodine," a spokeswoman said.
"At present, all other health boards are in the same position."
A spokeswoman for the North Eastern Health Board said it was yesterday reviewing stocks and their expiry dates.
A statement from the Midland Health Board said: "An iodine tablet stock was maintained by the board.
"Expiry dates on stocks were monitored and all stocks, which were out of date, were destroyed in 2000.
"There were concerns in relation to the effectiveness of the distribution arrangements in the event of a nuclear incident and there were also concerns about the product authorisation and licensing of the iodine products," it continued.
Speaking on RT╔ Radio's Morning Ireland yesterday, Mr Martin said there was no plan in place at the moment for dealing with any possible biological attack.
"We have to strengthen our response to biological attack," he said.
He said local authorities had a plan for dealing with an accident in, for example, a chemical plant.
Referring to biological attack, he said there were vaccines for the effects of some biological weapons, but "unfortunately, for others we do not have an effective vaccine. The world does not have one. The Twin Towers was a wake-up call. There are terrorists out there who are capable of outrageous attacks".
Plans for dealing with emergencies were being reviewed in the light of the attacks on the US, he said, and when they were completed - in about three months - a factsheet would be issued.
Referring to the calls for the resignation of junior minister Mr Joe Jacob because of his handling of questions on this issue on radio on Tuesday, he said: "If someone is going to resign over a radio interview we'd all be gone."
He said there was not, and could not be, a single "plan" for dealing with all eventualities.
There would be a different kind of response depending on the type of disaster, but there would be a committee of Government ministers overseeing that response.
He said the Air India disaster (in 1985) was a classic example of how our emergency services, health boards and local authorities could respond in the event of an emergency.
While stating that the Government had to be "prudent" in terms of preparing for any eventuality, he added: "We have to go on living."