An inter-departmental committee is to meet today to consider what measures can be introduced to protect the State against the threat of biological or chemical weapons attacks.
The committee, chaired by the Department of the Environment and Local Government, is to make recommendations to local authorities on possible changes to their local emergency plans.
The move follows a warning last week by the World Health Organisation that governments should prepare for possible terrorist attacks with germ warfare.
"We have already advised local authorities to ensure plans are up to date and effective in protecting water supplies in particular," said a Department spokesman. "This committee will see what further advice needs to be given in light of the WHO's warning."
The committee is one of a number of Government bodies which have been instructed to review security procedures following the terrorist attacks in the US.
A National Security Committee, made up of the secretaries general of the Departments of Justice and Defence, the Garda Commissioner and the chief of staff of the Defence Forces, has met three times since September 11th to evaluate the likelihood of a terrorist attack against the Republic.
A high-level contact group, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach, and comprising representatives of various departments and law enforcement agencies, has also been meeting at least twice a week.
A Government spokesman said this group was overseeing a review of all emergency plans in the State, whether co-ordinated by local authorities, health boards or other State agencies.
"There is an impression that there is no co-ordination regarding emergency plans," he said. "There is, in fact, central co-ordination."
It is expected the committee meeting today will consider the feasibility of having stand-by vaccines against biological weapons such as anthrax and smallpox.
According to Comdt John Guinane of the Defence Forces' Ordnance Corps, however, "there is no one inoculation that will protect you from all chemical or biological weapons".
He said with biological weapons, there was "no real detection method. You know you've got a problem only when people start falling sick and presenting themselves in hospitals."
Likewise, with chemical weapons, such as sarin gas - which was used in the 1995 Tokyo underground attack - "you would initially expect casualties before you can formulate a response".
He stressed the likelihood of an attack was considered quite low.
