Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

It is proposed to take No. 10a, motion on supplementary statement of expenditure for Houses of the Oireachtas; No. 1, Voluntary Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2007 [Seanad] — Second Stage (resumed); No. 16, statements on National Drug Strategy 2001 to 2008 and the mid-term review of the National Drugs Strategy March 2005. It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, that No. 10a shall be decided without debate; the proceedings on No. 16 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion at 3.30 p.m. and the following arrangements shall apply. The statements of a Minister or Minister of State and of the main spokespersons for the Fine Gael Party, the Labour Party and Sinn Féin, who shall be called upon in that order, shall not exceed 15 minutes in each case; the statements of each other Member called upon shall not exceed ten minutes in each case; Members may share time; and a Minister or Minister of State shall take questions for a period not exceeding 20 minutes; on the conclusion of questions a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a statement in reply which shall not exceed five minutes.

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