Legislative Council of the Isle of Man
|
Legislative Council Yn Choonceil Slattyssagh |
|
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type |
Upper house of the Tynwald
|
| Leadership | |
|
Stephen Rodan
Since 19 July 2016 |
|
| Seats | 11 |
| Elections | |
| Indirect election | |
| Website | |
| www.tynwald.org.im/council | |
The Legislative Council (Manx: Yn Choonceil Slattyssagh) is the upper chamber of Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is often referred to as "LegCo".
It consists of eleven Members (MLCs):
The MLCs are elected by the House of Keys by secret ballot for a term of four years. Four retire every two years, so four MLCs are elected at a time. An MLC must be at least 21 years old and resident in the Isle of Man.
Formerly, the Lieutenant Governor presided over the Legislative Council and over Tynwald Court (a joint session of the Council and the House of Keys). Now, however, the President of Tynwald, who is chosen by the whole Tynwald for a six-year term, is the ex officio President of the Legislative Council, and presides over both the Legislative Council and Tynwald Court, except that the Lieutenant Governor presides once a year on Tynwald Day.
Furthermore, the Church of England Bishop of Sodor and Man and the Attorney General appointed by the Lord of Mann have seats on the Legislative Council. The Bishop is a voting member, the Attorney General is a non-voting member, and the President has the casting vote.
The Council does not usually originate legislation (the last Act originating from the Council was the Sharing of Church Buildings Act 1986). Instead, it reviews draft legislation originating from the House of Keys.
The Council, being elected by the MHKs themselves, does not have significant authority in Tynwald.
For many years there has been considerable debate about the functioning of Tynwald, and specifically about the composition, method of election, and functions of the Legislative Council. In the past, a number of reforms were made in the composition of the Legislative Council, which are set out below. In 2016 Lord Lisvane was asked to carry out a review of the functioning of Tynwald. Among his recommendations were:
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