As the parliament of the Isle of Man, Tynwald makes laws, approves the spending of public money, debates important issues, and scrutinises the work of the Isle of Man Government.

What is the difference between parliament and government?

Although the work of the parliament and the government often overlaps, each has a distinct role.

The role of the Isle of Man Government is to:

• run the Isle of Man day-to-day;
• provide and manage public services, such as the NHS, the police, transport, and energy supply;
• develop and implement policy.

The role of Tynwald is to:

• represent the people of the Isle of Man;
• provide the Government (Council of Ministers) from amongst its Members;
• make new laws (and update old ones);
• examine and approve Government spending;
• scrutinise the Government's policy and its implementation.

Represent

The Members of the House of Keys are directly elected by the people of the Isle of Man to represent their interests in the parliament and the government.

Although the Members of the Legislative Council are not directly elected, they nevertheless also represent the people of the Isle of Man.

If constituents are unhappy with their MHKs' performance, they can vote to replace them at the next election. 

Provide the Government

The Chief Minister is the head of the Executive (Government).

The Chief Minister is elected by and from amongst the Members of the House of Keys to serve until the next General Election.

The Chief Minister selects Members of Tynwald to be Ministers of the Government Departments.  Together with the Chief Minister, they form the Council of Ministers.

Members of Tynwald may also serve as members of Government Departments. Exceptions are the Presiding Officers, who are barred by law, and the Lord Bishop and the Attorney-General.  However, Members are not obliged to take an executive role, and some choose not to.

If MHKs are unhappy with the Chief Minister's or Council of Ministers' performance, they can table a motion of no confidence. 

Make new laws

While new laws are often proposed by Government Departments, they do not become law until they have been examined by Tynwald and its Branches.  The main business of the House of Keys and the Legislative Council meeting separately is the consideration of primary legislation, or Bills, which is approved in a number of stages. Secondary legislation (i.e. Rules, Regulations, Orders) is considered and approved in Tynwald Court.

Examine and approve

Government spending must first be approved by Tynwald.  This is primarily done through the Budget, which is presented in Tynwald Court every February as a Motion, when it is debated and voted on. Ministers table Financial Motions if extra money is required; these are also debated and voted on.

Scrutinise

Tynwald has various means of scrutinising the work of the Government.

Questions

Members ask Questions about the work of the Government. These are usually directed to the relevant Minister, but may also be answered by Members with responsibilities in the relevant Department. Questions may be for Oral Answer or for Written Answer. There are no restrictions on the number or length of Questions.

Questions are tabled in advance and appear on the Order Paper (or, in the case of Tynwald Court, a separate Question Paper). During the sitting Members may also ask Supplementary Questions. There are no limits on the number of Questions, but the Presiding Officer ensures that any Supplementary Questions remain on topic.

There is an hour allocated for Questions at the beginning of every sitting of the House of Keys, and two and a half hours in Tynwald Court.

Motions

Members may table a Motion for debate on any topic.  This often gives Ministers the opportunity to defend and explain the policies and actions of their respective Departments. 

Committees

Much of the detailed work of Tynwald is done in Committees.

There are three Policy Review Committees, whose task it is to scrutinise the Government's implemented policies. They may examine issues on their own initiative, or have a topic referred to them by Tynwald.

Select Committees can be established to examine a particular issue.  This includes Bill Committees, which may be set up to examine a particular Bill or one (or more) of its clauses.

Committees take evidence from a variety of witnesses (i.e. members of the public, experts, civil servants), who give their views on the topic. Committees consider this evidence and then report back to Tynwald or one of its Branches, often with recommendations.  These recommendations are debated and voted on. The Government must respond to these recommendations as well. 

Registration and Turn Out

Despite high levels of publicity, of some 2000 residents of the relevant ages, only 718 joined the register in 2006, only 35.9%. Turnout as a proportion of those who had registered came in at 60.2%, very close to the equivalent figure of 61.2% for the electorate as a whole. 

In 2011 turnout as a proportion of those registered fell slightly, both among 16- and 17-year-olds and among the electorate as a whole. However, on the plus side there was a sharp increase in the percentage registering to vote.  Among the general population of voting age this figure rose from 79.5% to 86.9%. Among 16- to 17-year-olds there was a dramatic rise from 35.9% to 60.1%.

Figures for the 2016 General Election were lower than those for 2011. The percentage of the eligible population aged 16 and 17 who registered to vote did not continue to increase. Instead it fell slightly from 60.1% to 58.5%. Turnout as a proportion of those registered fell from 54.1% to 46.2%.

Turnout among 16- and 17-year-olds at the 2021 General Election was slightly lower than in 2016. In 2016, 535 of the 1,158 registered young voters took part, giving a turnout of 46.2%. By 2021, both the number of registered voters and those who voted had fallen to 950 and 436 respectively, which resulted in a marginally lower turnout of 45.89%. This suggests that engagement among young voters remained broadly stable between both elections, though with a small decline in both registration and participation. It is worth noting that the 2021 election took place months after the island emerged from several COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions, which meant less face-to-face campaigning and school visits.

All information relating to the House of Keys general election due to be held on 24 September 2026 can be found on the Isle of Man Government site: https://elections.gov.im/

(Link is to an external site)

Members	President of Tynwald The Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man Her Majesty's Attorney General Eight members elected by the House of Keys Presided over by the Speaker of the House of Keys	President of Tynwald The Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man Her Majesty's Attorney General Eight members elected by the House of Keys Presided over by the President of Tynwald	All members of the House of Keys and the Legislative Council. Presided over by the President of Tynwald
Sittings	Sittings at 10.00 each Tuesday except when Tynwald sits, or during recess	Sittings at 10.30 each Tuesday except when Tynwald sits, or during recess	From 10.30 on the third Tuesday of each month, except during recess, continuing into Wednesday and Thursday until business is concluded.   It also sits annually at St John’s on Tynwald Day.
Business	Bills: The principal business of the House is the consideration of draft legislation, Bills. Questions relating to public affairs, for oral or written answer, may be tabled by members. Statements can also be made in the House.	Bills: The principal business of the House is the consideration of draft legislation, Bills. Questions are from time to time tabled in the Council.   Statements may also be made in the Council.	Bills passed by both Branches are signed in Tynwald before being submitted for Royal Assent.   Questions may be tabled for oral or written answer.   Motions may be tabled for debate in Tynwald on any matters of policy or concern including IOM Government policy and finance.Committees may be appointed by Tynwald to consider and report on any subject. Secondary (delegated) legislation which includes orders and regulations required to bring primary legislation into force.
	Click to read more about the House of Keys	Click to read more about the Legislative Council	Click to read more about Tynwald Court

​Tynwald Day

Each year in early July, Tynwald meets in the open air to promulgate new laws and receive petitions for redress. This is a tradition that reflects Tynwald's Viking origins.

 Click here for more information on the sitting of Tynwald at St John's.