Youth Select Committee
The Tynwald Youth Select Committee is made up of young people aged 15 to 24 years old. The Committee mirrors the Tynwald Select Committee structure and gives young people the opportunity to scrutinize and hold inquiries into topics of importance to them.
Use the sections below to read about the members of the current committee and their current enquiry.
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You can watch Public Oral Evidence Hearings here.
About the Youth Select Committee
The first Tynwald Youth Select Committee was formed in October 2023. The 2023/24 Committee conducted its inquiry into the support available for young people (in particular those aged 16-25) to find ‘a suitable and affordable place to call home’ in the Island. Their first report has been published and was debated in Tynwald in March 2026.
The Youth Select Committee’s second inquiry will examine the educational, vocational, and developmental opportunities available on Island to young people leaving secondary or higher education.
Information submitted to the Youth Select Committee
The Youth Select Committee may wish to make public any information that is submitted to it but will only do so with the express written consent of the person who has made the submission.
Personal contact details are routinely redacted in advance of publication but your submission may include information that can be used to identify individuals.
If you decide to submit information to the Youth Select Committee for use in its published report, you must make it clear whether you consent to the Youth Select Committee publishing (a) your name and (b) the information you have submitted.
If you do not wish the Youth Select Committee to publish your name, or if you decide to submit information which you do not wish the Youth Select Committee to publish, you must make this clear within your submission.
Any personal information you have given will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 for the purposes of attributing the information you submit and contacting you as necessary in connection with its processing.
Youth Select Committee information is retained indefinitely and is passed to the Public Record Office after 25 years. This is in accordance with our draft retention policy.
How to Apply
Applications are now closed for 2025 Youth Select Committee
Applications to join the Youth Select Committee are considered annually. There is a call for applications in April and an application form must be completed to be considered. The eligibility criteria for applicants is you must have a connection to the Isle of Man and be aged between 15 and 23 years of age, inclusive, on 1st September 2024.
Media release calling for applications for 2025/2026: https://tynwald.org.im/news/calls-for-applications-to-serve-on-the-tynwald-youth-select-committee
Contact
Robyn Hughes
Engagement Services Executive
Legislative Buildings
Douglas IM1 3PW
Tel: 01624 685521
ysc@tynwald.org.im
Youth Select Committee 2025
Committee Members 2025
Freya Beggs
Scarlett Clague
Jethro Comish
David Cowin
Alex Cowley
Jasper Emery
Riona Zaman (Chair - elected 15 January 2025)
Pictured: L-R:, Riona Zaman (Chair), Freya Beggs, Alex Cowley, Jasper Emery, Scarlett Clague & Jethro Comish. Not pictured is the seventh member of the Committee, David Cowin
Terms of Reference
Support for Life After School: Educational and Developmental Opportunities.
This inquiry will explore the educational, vocational, and developmental opportunities available on Island to young people leaving secondary or higher education (particularly those aged 16-25). Through the examination of Government policy and initiatives, the Committee aims to identify why the Island continues to struggle with retaining its young adult population, and where change is required.
Our Island Plan details a need for high quality, supportive education to provide the best possible start in life, but also recognises a need for lifelong learning as a fundamental part of economic and social success for the Island. The Economic Strategy similarly reflects a need to ‘ensure our education system is meeting the future skills need’. The Committee has also identified a need to explore the lack of diversity in the social and developmental opportunities available outside of the workplace.
The Committee will consider the following areas from the perspective of both school and university leavers:
- Retention of young people and incentivisation for return to the Island;
- Preparation for the workplace;
- Alternative on-Island and off-Island provisions for those not attending university or wishing to reskill;
- Financial support after sixth form;
- Entertainment and development opportunities for young people.
Youth Select Committee 2024
The first Tynwald Youth Select Committee was formed in October 2023. The 2023/24 Committee conducted its inquiry into the support available for young people (in particular those aged 16-25) to find ‘a suitable and affordable place to call home’ in the Island.
The report has been published and will be laid before Tynwald in January 2026. It was debated in Tynwald in March 2026.
Committee Members 2024
Alex Cowley (Chair)
Felix Zivave
David Cowin
Kyra Campbell
Riona Zaman
Aedan Clarke
Zara Milanova
Terms of Reference
Housing: Support for Young People
This inquiry will examine the support available for young people (in particular those aged 16-25) to find ‘a suitable and affordable place to call home’ in the Island. The Committee will also examine the Government’s progress against its own ambitions to tackle the housing crisis, particularly in relation to policies affecting young people.
Research has shown that there are significant demographic differences in housing in the Island. Young people are more likely to rent than older generations, and they are therefore more affected by the regulatory standards applied to rental properties. As house prices have risen, it has become increasingly difficult for young people to get on the property ladder. Previous inquiries have also highlighted the particular difficulties faced by vulnerable young people in finding suitable accommodation on the Island.
In the Our Island Plan, the Council of Ministers has committed to tackling the housing crisis ‘by ensuring everyone has a suitable and affordable place to call home and our housing stock meets the needs of our population now and into the future’. The Housing and Communities Board was established in October 2021 to focus on policy and actions in this area; the Action Plan 2022/23 set out the Board’s actions for its first year of operations.
The Committee will consider the following areas:
- First Time Buyers Scheme, the Mid-Rent Housing project, and Affordable Housing policies
- Regulation of private rented housing (standards and rent)
- Regulation of and access to public sector housing
- Progress made with the recommendations of the Select Committee on Accommodation for Vulnerable Young People