Keys Officers
	Chamber | Presiding Officers | Officers | Members | Work of the Keys | Election to the House | Seating Plan
	The Secretary of the House and Counsel to the Speaker is appointed by the House; the appointments are held concurrently with the appointment of Clerk of Tynwald. In modern times there has been a full-time appointment of an officer as the Secretary of the House, although until 1858 a Member of the House acted as its Secretary. The first to have been appointed as Counsel to the Speaker was Professor T StJ N Bates, MA LLM in 1987. The Secretary of the House is responsible for advising Mr Speaker, and other members, on the business of the House and on the interpretation of its Standing Orders. He is also responsible for the provision of services to Members. As Counsel to the Speaker he is responsible for advising members on Bills which are before the House. The present Secretary of the House and Counsel to the Speaker is Mr R I S Phillips LLB, who was appointed in 2008. The Chaplain of the House leads the members in prayers at the beginning of each sitting. The current Chaplain of the House is the Revd W H Martin, who was appointed in 2007. The Messengers carry out the duties prescribed by Mr Speaker. Their routine duties include conveying written and oral messages between the Members and the officers of the House.