Tynwald

The High Court of Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man and has an unlimited, but not necessarily exclusive, legislative competence. It has two Branches, the Legislative Council and the House of Keys, which sit separately to consider legislation, but also sit together in Douglas, and annually at St John's, for other parliamentary purposes.

The Legislative Council

The Legislative Council is the upper Branch of Tynwald and its eleven members are either indirectly elected or sit ex officio. The principal function of the Council is the consideration of legislation. Although it is possible for Bills to be first introduced into the Council, by convention Bills are now usually first introduced into the Keys and the Council has become primarily a revising chamber.

The House of Keys

The House of Keys is the lower, directly elected Branch of Tynwald. It has had a constant membership of twenty-four 'Keys' with a varying size and distribution of constituencies. The principal function of the House is the consideration of legislation. By convention, Bills are considered first in the House of Keys and then in the Legislative Council.