Charlie Shimmins - November 2016
All Tynwald Committees are
assigned a Clerk to the Committee and an Assistant Clerk.
My role as Assistant Clerk
to five active committees of Tynwald has been the bulk of my workload in November.
The public call for evidence of the Select Committee on the Organization and
Operation of the General Election concluded on the 18th, and
received a high number of responses. It has been my task to process all of the
responses received. As Assistant Clerk I draft a summarised briefing for review
by the Clerk of the Committee about the topics
raised in the responses as a whole for the Committee to review and evaluate.
Following the call for
written evidence, the same Committee decided to hold two oral evidence
sessions, and I have been busy inviting witnesses to attend and scheduling the
order of proceedings. It has been fascinating to see first-hand how a Tynwald
investigation is carried out and the way in which a Committee collects evidence
and forms opinions and recommendations over the course of the process.
More information about the
current committees: www.tynwald.org.im/business/committee/
Earlier in the month, I
attended a one-day training course called Working with the Legislature. This is
an internal course run by the Deputy Clerk of Tynwald and organized through the
Learning,
Education and Development team in Isle of Man Government. The session is designed for Isle of Man Government staff to show the
process of legislation through Tynwald. All Departments in Isle of Man
Government can propose legislation and it is important to understand internal
processes and deadlines if there is a key date to be met. This course was interesting for me because it
gave me a new angle of understanding on the way in which Tynwald conducts its
business. It was also an opportunity to find out more about the various
Departments of Government and the ways in which they interact with the
legislature.
This month also saw the
completion and delivery of the Tynwald Annual Report. This was a significant
undertaking that I have been working on essentially since starting here at
Tynwald. It was therefore immensely rewarding to take delivery of copies of the
finished publication, and to receive praise from Tynwald members and officers
for my work.
I have also organised a
number of school visits to Tynwald for the coming months. I sent out a letter
to all head teachers on the Island and so far have booked in four school
visits, as well as arranged for the President of Tynwald to go and visit
several others. Education and outreach is something that Tynwald is keen to
promote, so am I very pleased that my letter has had a positive response so
far.
Work
in the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office continues to be varied and thoroughly
engaging. I am looking forward to experiencing my first oral evidence session
as Assistant Clerk to the Select Committee on the Organization and Operation of
the General Election.
