House of Keys
Encyclopedia
The House of Keys is the directly elected lower branch of Tynwald
, the parliament of the Isle of Man
, the other branch being the Legislative Council
.
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written by an English scholar in Latin, which refers to and ("The Keys of Mann" and "The Keys of Law"). There is a dispute, however, over the origin of the name. The word "keys" is thought by some to be an English corruption of the Norse
word kjósa meaning "chosen". However a more likely explanation is that it is a mishearing of the Manx-language
term for "four and twenty", , the House having always had 24 members. The Manx-language name of the House of Keys remains ("The Four and Twenty").
Members are known as Members of the House of Keys, (MHKs). Citizens over the age of 16 may vote, while one must be at least 21 years old and a resident of the Island for three years to be elected. There are 15 constituencies, based on the sheadings and other local government units. There are currently two 3-member constituencies, five 2-member constituencies and eight 1-member constituencies. The term of the House of Keys is normally fixed at five years, but provisions exist for dissolution before the expiration of the term.
The Speaker of the House of Keys
(SHK) is an MHK chosen to be the presiding officer. He may vote in the same manner as other members, but he may also abstain, unlike the others; however, if the vote is tied the Speaker may not abstain and must cast the deciding vote. Unusually for a legislative body attendance is required by law and if a member cannot attend they must request permission for absence.
The House of Keys elects most of the members of the Legislative Council
. Legislation does not usually originate in the Council. Thus, the Keys have much more power than the Council, which performs the function of a revising chamber.
The House of Keys meets about once each month with the Legislative Council in a joint session called "Tynwald Court". The President of Tynwald
, elected by both branches, presides over Tynwald Court and over the Legislative Council. Once each year, however, the Lieutenant Governor
presides on Tynwald Day
, the Isle of Man's national day.
Details of additional sums for additional responsibilities can be seen on the Tynwald
article
http://www.tynwald.org.im/tynwald/remuneration.shtml
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
, the parliament of the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, the other branch being the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.It consists of eleven Members —*eight elected members, known as Members of the Legislative Council or MLCs*three ex officio members:...
.
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written by an English scholar in Latin, which refers to and ("The Keys of Mann" and "The Keys of Law"). There is a dispute, however, over the origin of the name. The word "keys" is thought by some to be an English corruption of the Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
word kjósa meaning "chosen". However a more likely explanation is that it is a mishearing of the Manx-language
Manx language
Manx , also known as Manx Gaelic, and as the Manks language, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, historically spoken by the Manx people. Only a small minority of the Island's population is fluent in the language, but a larger minority has some knowledge of it...
term for "four and twenty", , the House having always had 24 members. The Manx-language name of the House of Keys remains ("The Four and Twenty").
Members are known as Members of the House of Keys, (MHKs). Citizens over the age of 16 may vote, while one must be at least 21 years old and a resident of the Island for three years to be elected. There are 15 constituencies, based on the sheadings and other local government units. There are currently two 3-member constituencies, five 2-member constituencies and eight 1-member constituencies. The term of the House of Keys is normally fixed at five years, but provisions exist for dissolution before the expiration of the term.
The Speaker of the House of Keys
Speaker of the House of Keys
The Speaker of the House of Keys is the principal officer of the House of Keys, the lower house of the Isle of Man legislature. The Speaker is elected from the membership of the house at its first sitting after an election. He is responsible for controlling the procedure of the House and for...
(SHK) is an MHK chosen to be the presiding officer. He may vote in the same manner as other members, but he may also abstain, unlike the others; however, if the vote is tied the Speaker may not abstain and must cast the deciding vote. Unusually for a legislative body attendance is required by law and if a member cannot attend they must request permission for absence.
The House of Keys elects most of the members of the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
The Legislative Council is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man.It consists of eleven Members —*eight elected members, known as Members of the Legislative Council or MLCs*three ex officio members:...
. Legislation does not usually originate in the Council. Thus, the Keys have much more power than the Council, which performs the function of a revising chamber.
The House of Keys meets about once each month with the Legislative Council in a joint session called "Tynwald Court". The President of Tynwald
President of Tynwald
The President of Tynwald is the presiding officer at the sittings of Tynwald in Douglas and is elected by the members of Tynwald from amongst their number...
, elected by both branches, presides over Tynwald Court and over the Legislative Council. Once each year, however, the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man
The Lieutenant Governor is the representative on the Isle of Man of the Lord of Mann . He/she has the power to grant Royal Assent and is styled His Excellency. In recent times the Governor has either been a retired diplomat or senior military officer...
presides on Tynwald Day
Tynwald Day
Tynwald Day is the National Day of the Isle of Man, usually occurring on 5 July.On this day the Isle's legislature, Tynwald, meets at St John's, instead of its usual meeting place, Douglas. The session is held partly in the Royal Chapel of St John the Baptist and partly in the open air on the...
, the Isle of Man's national day.
Current members
| Constituency | MHKs | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Ayre Ayre Ayre is one of six sheadings in the Isle of Man and consists of the parishes of Andreas, Bride and Lezayre.Ayre is also a House of Keys constituency, electing a single MHK.... |
Eddie Teare Eddie Teare William Edward "Eddie" Teare, MHK is a Manx politician, who is the Minister of the Treasury and current member of the House of Keys for Ayre. He was first elected to the House at the 2004 by election. He was educated at Ramsey Grammar School.... |
|
| Castletown Castletown Castletown is a town geographically within the Malew parish of the Isle of Man but administered separately. Lying at the south of the island, it is the former Manx capital. The centre of town is dominated by Castle Rushen, a well-preserved castle.-History:... |
Richard Ronan | |
| Douglas East Douglas East Douglas East is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man. It elects 2 MHKs.-MHKs & Elections:-External links:*... |
Chris Robertshaw Chris Robertshaw Chris Robertshaw MHK is a Member of the House of Keys for Douglas East in the Isle of Man and Minister of Social CareHe was schooled in a catholic seminary and served in the British Army in Libya, Cyprus, Germany, England and Norway. In 2005 he retired as Managing Director, Company Secretary and... Brenda Cannell Brenda Cannell Brenda Josephine Cannell MHK is the current member of the House of Keys for Douglas East, having been first elected in the 1996 general election. She was born in 1952 in Liverpool and moved to the Island in 1977. She was a Hair Stylist prior to becoming an MHK. She was on the Douglas Town... |
|
| Douglas North Douglas North Douglas North is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man. It elects 2 MHKs.-MHKs & Elections:-External links:*... |
Bill Henderson John Houghton John Houghton (Isle of Man) John Houghton MHK is a Member of the House of Keys for Douglas North and is currently Chairman of the Civil Service Commission. He is an outspoken critic of both the Isle of Man Constabulary and in particular its Chief Constable, Mike Culverhouse... |
|
| Douglas South Douglas South Douglas South is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man. It elects 2 MHKs.-MHKs & Elections:-External links:*... |
David Cretney David Cretney The Honourable David Clifford Cretney MHK is a Manx politician and entrepreneur, who is the current Minister of the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure, he is a former Tourism and Leisure Minister of the Isle of Man Government. He has been a Member of the House of Keys from 1985 for... Kate Beecroft |
Liberal Vannin |
| Douglas West Douglas West Douglas West is a House of Keys constituency in Douglas, Isle of Man. It elects 2 MHKs.-MHKs & Elections:-External links:*... |
Geoff Corkish Geoff Corkish Charles Geoffrey "Geoff" Corkish MBE MHK is a Manx politician, who is currently a Member of the House of Keys for Douglas West... John Shimmin John Shimmin John Shimmin BEd MHK is currently the Minister of Economic Development of the Isle of Man Government.John Shimmin was born in Douglas in 1960 and educated at St Ninian's High School and the Worcester College of Higher Education. He was then a teacher from 1982 until entering politics in 1996... |
|
| Garff Garff Garff is one of the six sheadings in the Isle of Man. It is on the east of the island and consists of the parishes of Lonan and Maughold, the village of Laxey and the district of Onchan. Historically, Onchan was in the sheading of Middle.... |
Stephen Rodan Steve Rodan The Honourable Stephen Charles "Steve" Rodan, SHK, BSc, MRPharmS is a Scottish politician, who is the current Speaker of the House of Keys and former Minister of the Isle of Man Government and Member of the House of Keys for the constituency of Garff... SHK |
|
| Glenfaba Glenfaba Glenfaba is one of six sheadings in the Isle of Man. It lies on the west of the island and consists of the parishes of German and Patrick. Historically, Glenfaba also included the parish of Marown toward the centre of the island. Geographically the area also includes the town of Peel which is... |
David Anderson David Anderson (Isle of Man) David Moore Anderson MHK is a Manx politician, who is currently the Minister for Health of the Isle of Man Government. He has been a Member of the House of Keys from 2001 for Glenfaba. Before going into politics, he was a dairy and mixed farmer... |
|
| Malew and Santon Malew and Santon Malew and Santon is a House of Keys constituency in the Isle of Man. It elects one MHK and the constituency covers the parishes of Malew and Santon. This is slightly unusual since Malew and Santon are in different sheadings.-MHKs & Elections:... |
Graham Cregeen | |
| Michael | Alfred Cannan | |
| Middle Middle (sheading) Middle is one of six sheadings in the Isle of Man and consists of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon or Santan. It lies to the east of the island. Historically it consisted of Braddan, Santan and Onchan. It is also a House of Keys constituency, electing one MHK.-MHKs & Elections:-External... |
Howard Quayle | |
| Onchan Onchan Onchan , is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Although administratively a village, it has the second largest population on the island, after Douglas, with which it forms a conurbation.... |
Zac Hall Peter Karran Peter Karran Peter Karran MHK is a Manx politician, who is the current Minister of Education and Children, Member of the House of Keys for Onchan and Leader of the Liberal Vannin Party. He was a Manx Labour Party member but left in 2004. In August 2006 he founded the Liberal Vannin Party... David Quirk |
Liberal Vannin Liberal Vannin |
| Peel | Tim Crookall Tim Crookall Tim Crookall MHK is a Member of the House of Keys for Peel in the Isle of Man and Minister of Community, Culture and Leisure.in 1996, he replaced Hazel Hannan as MHK for Peel and was successfully re-elected in 2011.-Governmental positions:... |
|
| Ramsey Ramsey, Isle of Man Ramsey is a town in the north of the Isle of Man. It is the second largest town on the island after Douglas. Its population is 7,309 according to the 2006 census . It has one of the biggest harbours on the island, and has a prominent derelict pier, called the Queen's Pier. It was formerly one of... |
Leonard Singer Leonard Singer Leonard Ian Singer MHK MR Pharm S is a British pharmacist and politician based in Ramsey, Isle of Man.-Career:Singer was born in Manchester on 27 January 1943, he has resided in Portugal and Tenerife. He moved to the island in 1989 and set up Singer's Pharmacy in Ramsey having qualified as a... Allan Bell Allan Bell The Honourable Allan Robert Bell MHK is a Manx politician, who is the current Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, having been elected to that position on October 11, 2011. He was formerly the Minister for Economic Development of the Isle of Man Government and is Member of the House of Keys for... |
|
| Rushen Rushen Rushen , formerly Kirk Christ Rushen , is a parish in the sheading of the same name in the Isle of Man. The parish is a fishing and agricultural district at the south-westernmost point of the island. The parish is one of three in the sheading of Rushen... |
Phil Gawne Phil Gawne Philip Anderson "Phil" Gawne BSc MHK is a Manx politician, who is the Member of the House of Keys for Rushen, a constituency in the Isle of Man. He is also the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and therefore a member of the Council of Ministers.-Early life:Born in 1965 in Douglas to... Laurence Skelly Juan Watterson Juan Watterson Juan Paul Watterson MHK BA ACA is a Manx politician, who is a Member of the House of Keys for Rushen, in the Isle of Man., He is currently the youngest MHK in the House of Keys.-Early life:... |
|
Member's salaries and expenses allowances
From April 2010- Members basic salary £36,998.12 per annum
- Expenses allowance of £6,271.10 per annum
Details of additional sums for additional responsibilities can be seen on the Tynwald
Tynwald
The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...
article
http://www.tynwald.org.im/tynwald/remuneration.shtml