House of Keys facts for kids

Quick facts for kids House of Keys Yn Kiare as Feed
Type
Type	Lower house of the High Court of Tynwald
Leadership
Speaker	Juan Watterson Since 27 September 2016
Structure
Seats	24 MHKs
Political groups	Independent (21)      Manx Labour (2)      Liberal Vannin Party (1)
Elections
Voting system	Multiple non-transferable vote
Last election	23 September 2021
Next election	September 2026
Meeting place
Chamber of the House of Keys, Legislative Buildings, Douglas

Isle of Man

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the Isle of Man

Lord of Mann: Elizabeth II Lieutenant Governor: Adam Wood Deputy Governor: David Doyle Tynwald President of Tynwald: Clare Christian Legislative Council President: Clare Christian House of Keys Speaker: Steve Rodan Deputy Speaker: Geoff Corkish Clerk of the House: Roger Phillips Registrar of Member's Interests: Roger Phillips Chaplain: Revd. William Martin Reader of the House: Dr. Brian Stowell Government Council of Ministers Chief Minister: Hon. Allan Bell MHK Minister for the Treasury: Hon. Eddie Teare MHK Minister for Economic Development: Hon. John Shimmin MHK Minister for Environment, Food and Agriculture: Hon. Phil Gawne MHK Minister for Community, Culture and Leisure: Hon. Tim Crookall MHK Minister for Education and Children: Hon. Peter Karran MHK Minister for Health: Hon. David Anderson MHK Minister for Home Affairs: Hon. Juan Watterson MHK Minister for Infrastructure: Hon. David Cretney MHK Minister for Social Care: Hon. Chris Robertshaw MHK Chief Secretary: Will Greenhow Manx Judiciary Attorney General: Stephen Harding First Deemster (English): David Doyle Second Deemster (Manx): Andrew Corlett Deemster: Alastair Montgomerie Judge of Appeal: Geoffrey Tattersall High Bailiff: John Needham Deputy High Bailiff: Jayne Hughes Keys Constituencies Local Government Political parties Elections Officials of State Parish Captains

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The House of Keys (Manx: Yn Kiare as Feed) is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council.

History

The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in Latin by an English scholar, which refers to Claves Mann (the 'Keys of Mann') and Claves Legis (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 ('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 [ˈkʲiːəs ˈfid], the House having always had 24 members. The Manx-language name of the House 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 on local government units. (A few local government units are split between two constituencies.) Each sends two members to the House of Keys, elected by plurality voting (each elector can vote for up to two candidates). 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 elected by the Keys as the presiding officer. The Speaker votes in the House of Keys, but, unlike other members, may abstain; however, when the vote is tied the Speaker must cast the deciding vote. The Speaker also acts as Deputy President of Tynwald Court.

The House of Keys elects 8 of the 11 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. During the COVID pandemic, these meetings have been more frequent. 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 (or a member of the Royal Family) presides.

Meeting place

The House of Keys usually meets in their chamber in the Legislative Buildings in Douglas. Seating is allocated in alphabetical order by constituency name (in English) and organised into two rows. Members who received the highest number of votes in their constituency sit in the front row. On 14 March 2017 the Keys met in the Old House of Keys in Castletown, for the first time since 1874, to commemorate the sesquicentenary of the first elected House of Keys. During the COVID pandemic, these meetings have sometimes been held remotely (or partly remotely).

Elections

Membership

See also

In Spanish: Cámara de las Llaves para niños