Legislative Council of the Isle of Man

Isle of Man
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the Isle of Man
Lord of Mann HM Queen Elizabeth II Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Richard Gozney Deputy Governor Until 31 July 2018: His Honour Deemster Doyle QC Successor: Andrew Corlett Isle of Man Government Council of Ministers Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK Departments Statutory Boards Offices Other Agencies Tynwald Act of Tynwald List President of Tynwald The Hon. Steve Rodan MLC Legislative Council President The Hon. Steve Rodan MLC House of Keys Speaker The Hon. Juan Watterson SHK Members (MHKs) Officials of State Judiciary Local government Parish Captains Elections House of Keys elections Legislative Council elections Keys constituencies Political parties Last Keys election
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The Legislative Council (Manx: Yn Choonceil Slattyssagh) is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is often referred to as "LegCo".

It consists of eleven Members (MLCs):

• Eight members elected by the Keys
• Three ex officio members:
  • The Bishop of Sodor and Man
  • The President of Tynwald (casting vote)
  • The Attorney General (non-voting)

The MLCs are elected by the members of the House of Keys for a term of five years. Four MLCs retire at a time, and four new MLCs are then elected. An MLC must be at least 21 years old and resident in the Isle of Man. Historically the election procedure has been cumbersome, and on some occasions in recent years the election has required a large number of ballots, stretching over a period of weeks or even months. However the Standing Orders of the House of Keys regarding the election of MLCs were amended on 4 April 2017, and a relevant Guidance Note was issued by the Speaker of the House of Keys in June 2017. In 2018, only one ballot was required, although some feel that that was at the cost of allowing members to vote for an excessive number of candidates (one member voted for 13 candidates out of 15 and another for 11).^[1][2]

Historically, most or all elected MLCs were former MHKs, but this practice has now much reduced or ceased.

Formerly, the Lieutenant Governor presided over the Legislative Council and over Tynwald Court (a joint session of the Council and the House of Keys). Now, however, the President of Tynwald, who is chosen by the whole Tynwald for a five-year term, is the ex officio President of the Legislative Council, and presides over both the Legislative Council and Tynwald Court, except that the Lieutenant Governor presides once a year on Tynwald Day.

Furthermore, the Church of England Bishop of Sodor and Man and the Attorney General have seats on the Legislative Council. The Bishop is a voting member, the Attorney General is a non-voting member, and the President has the casting vote.

The Council does not usually originate legislation (until recently the last Act originating from the Council was the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1986). Instead, it reviews draft legislation originating from the House of Keys. However, it is possible for legislation to originate in the Council: a recent example is the Equality Bill 2016.^[3][4]

2016 Review of the Functioning of Tynwald

For many years there has been considerable debate about the functioning of Tynwald, and specifically about the composition, method of election, and functions of the Legislative Council. In the past, a number of reforms were made in the composition of the Legislative Council, which are set out below. In 2016 Lord Lisvane was asked to carry out a review of the functioning of Tynwald.^[5] Among his recommendations were:

• Members of the Legislative Council should continue not to be directly elected, but instead should be nominated by an independent Nominations Commission to the House of Keys. No sitting MHK could be nominated.
• The Legislative Council should not vote on taxation or appropriation.
• Only exceptionally should MLCs be ministers.
• The Bishop should continue as an ex officio voting member of the Legislative Council.

1990 reform and current composition

The Lieutenant Governor is removed as Presiding Officer of Tynwald and replaced by a member of Tynwald elected by the Members of the Court (i.e. the High Court of Tynwald) as President of Tynwald. The President of Tynwald is also a member of the Legislative Council and presides at its sittings. The members are thus:

• President of Tynwald
• Attorney General
• Bishop of Sodor and Man
• Eight members elected by the House of Keys

The non-ex officio members are elected by the House of Keys for terms which end at the end of February immediately before the fifth anniversary of their election.

Current membership

¹ Elected under the name of Tanya Humbles

In marked contrast to tradition, all five members elected in March 2018 are women.

Elections

Past membership

Historical composition

References

Coordinates: 54°09′03″N 4°28′56″W / 54.15083°N 4.48222°W / 54.15083; -4.48222