Speaker Juan Watterson Last election 22 September 2016 | Seats 24 MHKs | |
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Type Lower house of the High Court of Tynwald Political groups Liberal Vannin (3)
Independent (21) Voting system Multiple non-transferable vote | ||
The House of Keys (Manx: Yn Kiare as Feed) is the directly elected lower branch of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.
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History
The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written by an English scholar in Latin, which refers to Claves Mann and Claves Legis (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 a form of the Norse verb kjósa meaning to choose. However, a more likely explanation is that it is a mishearing of the Manx-language term for four and twenty, kiare as feed (Manx pronunciation: ['ciːəs 'fid]), the House having always had 24 members. The Manx-language name of the House of Keys remains Yn Kiare as Feed (The Four and Twenty).
Governance
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 18 years old and a resident of the Island for three years to be elected an MHK. There are 12 constituencies, mainly based on the sheadings and other local government units. (A few local government units are combined over two constituencies.) Each sends 2 members to the House of Keys. 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. The Speaker votes in the House of Keys, but, unlike other members, may abstain; however, where the vote is tied the Speaker must cast the deciding vote.
The House of Keys elects most of the members of the Legislative Council. Legislation does not usually originate in the Council. (There are exceptions: for example the Equality Bill was introduced in the Legislative Council in late 2016.) 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 together 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, on Tynwald Day, the Isle of Man's national day, the Lieutenant Governor presides.
Members' salaries, expenses allowances, and benefits
From 1 April 2014,
For details of the members' pension scheme and a list of the additional sums payable to certain office-holders, see the official Tynwald page.