STANDING ORDERS. - QUESTIONS.
16. Questions must be handed in writing to the Clerk not later than 10 a.m. on the second preceding day before that on which they are to be asked, but no question shall be handed in on a Saturday or Sunday. Provided that questions relating to matters of urgent public importance may, by permission of the Ceann Comhairle, be asked on private notice to a Minister.
17. Questions addressed to a Minister must relate to public affairs connected with his Department or to matters of administration for which the Ministry is officially responsible.
18. The Ceann Comhairle shall examine every question, in order to ensure that its purpose is to elucidate matters of fact or matters, of policy, that it shall be as brief as possible, and that it shall contain no argument or personal imputation upon a member. The Ceann Comhairle may amend any question to secure its compliance with the Standing Orders. Should the Member responsible for the question, object to such amendment he may withdraw the question.
19. All questions shall be taken directly the Dáil shall sit before the Dáil shall enter upon any other business.
20. If any question be not reached by 3 o'clock, the Minister to whom it is addressed shall cause an answer to be provided in the Official Report of the Dáil, unless the Teachta responsible for the question, has signified his desire to postpone the question.
21. Any Teachta who does not desire an oral answer to his question may distinguish it by an asterisk, in which case the Minister to whom it is addressed shall cause an answer to be provided in the Official Report of the Dáil.
22. A question may be asked by the Teachta in whose name it stands, or if he is absent when the question is called, by any other Teachta at his request, in writing. Questions shall be put by each Teachta by rising in his place and indicating the number of the question on the Agenda.
23. Supplementary Questions may only be put for the further elucidation of the information requested, and shall be subject to the ruling of the Ceann Comhairle, both as to relevance and as to number, and shall be asked only by the Teachta putting the original question.
24. Questions addressed to a Teachta of the Dáil, not a Minister, must relate to same Dáil motion, or other matter in connection with the Dáil for which the Teachta is responsible.
25. A Teachta desiring to speak shall rise in his place. If more than one Teachta shall rise at the same time the Ceann Comhairle shall call upon one of them. Teachtaí shall address the Ceann Comhairle.
26. When the Ceann Comhairle addresses the Dáil from the Chair any Teachta who may be in possession shall resume his seat.
27. No Teachta Is entitled to speak twice upon the same question, except to close a debate upon the original motion of which he was the proposer; but a Teachta is not precluded from speaking on an amendment by reason, of having spoken upon the original motion or upon any other amendment.
28. A motion shall not be debated until it has been seconded.
29. Every amendment must be relevant to the question on which it is proposed, and must be directed to omitting, adding, or substituting words. No amendment shall be accepted by the Ceann Comhairle which is equivalent to a direct negative.
30. When a question has been put by the Ceann Comhairle no further debate thereon shall be allowed before voting.
31. A Teachta who persists in irrelevance or repetition in debate and who, in the opinion of the Ceann Comhairle, is speaking for the purpose of obstructing the business of the Dáil may be directed by the Ceann Comhairle to discontinue his speech after the attention of the Dáil has been called to his conduct.
32. A Teachta who persists in obstructing the business of the Dáil in a disorderly manner may be required by the Ceann Comhairle to withdraw from the Dáil for the remainder of the sitting. If the disorder be of an aggravated character the period of suspension shall be such as the Dáil shall determine on a motion proposed by the President of the Ministry, or, if the President of the Ministry be absent, by whomever shall at the time be acting in his place.
33. Teachtaí so withdrawn or suspended from attendance in the Dáil shall take no part in full meeting of the Dáil, but for the period of suspension determined by the Dáil they may continue to act on any committees of the Dáil of which they may be members.
34. The Ceann Comhairle has authority to suppress disorder and to enforce prompt obedience to his ruling, and be may call upon officers of the Guard to preserve the liberties of Debate and the privileges of the Dáil.
35. After a Ministerial motion has been discussed half an hour a Minister may move "that the motion, be now put" or "that the amendment be now put" and the motion "that the motion be now put" or "that the amendment be now put" shall be put forthwith and decided without amendment, unless it appears to the Ceann Comhairle that the motion is an infringement of the rights of a minority, or an abuse of the Rules of the Dáil. On motions other than Ministerial Motions, any Teachta may move the closure of the Debate.
36. If, when the motion "that the motion be now put" is carried, an amendment to the original motion is before the Dáil, this amendment shall be put, and if carried shall immediately be put as a substantive motion. Provided always that, if there are amendments on the Agenda in addition to the one in respect of which the debate is closured, and if such additional amendments deal with distinct matters contained in the original motion, then the original motion shall not be put as a whole until after such additional amendments have been disposed of.
37. When a Bill is being considered in Committee of the whole Dáil, or is to be so considered, the Dáil may, by resolution on the motion of a Minister, specify the time which shall be given to the consideration of any clause or group of clauses, and when the time so allotted shall have expired, if such clause or group of clauses have not already been voted on, the Ceann Comhairle shall, without motion or discussion, put to the Dáil the amendment under discussion and any other amendment which he deems of special importance and likely to be passed, and shall thereupon put the clause or clauses concerned to the Dáil. If the time allotted to any clause or group of clauses shall expire at 7 p.m., the Dáil shall continue to sit for the purpose of taking the necessary votes.