Work of the Keys
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	The Keys normally meet weekly from the third Tuesday in October to the last Tuesday in June, except in the third week of the month when Tynwald Court sits. The House sits from 10.00a.m. to 1.00p.m. and 2.15p.m. to 5.30p.m., although this may be varied. At the beginning of each sitting Mr Speaker processes into the Chamber preceded by a messenger, the Chaplain and the Secretary. CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATION: Much of the time of the House is occupied in the consideration of draft legislation, Bills. The majority of these Bills are Public Bills, which are Bills of general application. They are normally introduced in the Keys either by the Government or on the initiative of an individual Member who has been given leave by the House (and where the Bill has financial implications, has obtained Isle of Man Treasury concurrence) to introduce the Bill. It is also possible for outside bodies or individuals to petition either the Keys or the Council for leave to introduce Private Bills, which are Bills of a local or personal character. The procedure for considering Bills in the House is essentially the same for each category of Bill. The First Reading of a Bill is the initial stage of its consideration. The first reading formally brings the Bill before the House. The Secretary reads the short title of the Bill and states the member of the House who is taking it through the House. There is no debate. The Second Reading of the Bill takes place at a subsequent sitting of the House and at this stage the principles of the Bill are debated. If the motion "That the Bill be now read a second time" is carried the Bill, or some of its clauses, may be referred to a committee of Members appointed by the House. At the Clauses Stage the House considers and debates the Bill clause by clause and amendments may be moved to the clauses and new clauses added. At this stage some or all of the clauses may be referred to a committee and the House proceeds with the Bill once it has considered the report of the committee. After the motion for the Second Reading has been carried, or after the report of a committee has been considered, the Bill proceeds to the Clauses Stage. In the House the clauses are considered either individually or in groups on a motion that the clause or clauses "stand part" of the Bill. When consideration of the clauses, and any associated schedules, of the Bill has been completed the Bill proceeds to the next stage, the third reading, at a subsequent sitting. At the Third Reading, the Bill as then agreed by the House is further debated on a motion "That this Bill be now read a third time". For this motion to be carried it requires to be supported by the votes of at least 13 members of the Keys. The Bill is then submitted to the Legislative Council for its consideration. If the Council should amend the Bill the amendments are considered by the Keys. At this stage the House may agree, disagree or amend the Council amendments or disagree the amendments, and seek a conference with the Council to resolve the differences between the two Branches. The President of Tynwald presides when there is a conference. If an agreement is reached at the Conference this is reported to the House where the conference agreement may be approved or disapproved. Where a disagreement cannot be resolved, under the Isle of Man Constitution Act 1961 if a Bill is passed by the House of Keys and rejected by the Council and is then passed by the House in the next session and not passed by the Council it may proceed without the agreement of the Council. The power of the Council is, therefore, ultimately a delaying power. After a Bill has been passed, or deemed to have been passed, by both the House of Keys and the Legislative Council it must be signed by at least five members of the Council and thirteen members of the Keys in Tynwald Court before it may be submitted for Royal Assent. The Royal Assent is now commonly given to Bills by the Lieutenant Governor acting on behalf of the Crown but the Crown may reserve to itself the right to determine whether Royal Assent should be given to any particular Bill. There remains one final procedure. An Act of Tynwald must be promulgated within 18 months on Tynwald Hill, St. John's, or it ceases to have effect. Members may table questions for oral or written answer and the first half-hour of each sitting is set aside for oral questions to be answered. Questions tabled must relate to public affairs. OTHER PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE: In addition to the consideration of legislation and the tabling and answering of questions there are a variety of other proceedings which may take place in the House. There may, for example, be statements made in the House and the House also periodically elects persons to be members of the Legislative Council, The House may, usually at the conclusion of its Agenda, sit in private to consider confidential matters. When the House is sitting in private all persons other than the Members and the Secretary of the House must leave the Chamber. PROCEDURE IN DEBATES: The procedure in debates is controlled by Mr Speaker in accordance with the Standing Orders of the House, as interpreted by Mr Speaker. Debate is more decorous and less partisan than in many parliamentary assemblies, perhaps in consequence of the majority of the Members being independent members without party affiliation. Members stand to indicate that they wish to participate in debate and may only participate when called to do so by Mr Speaker. Members must address the Chair and should refer to other Members by reference to their constituency rather than by name. These procedural rules, which are common to many legislatures, are designed to reduce acrimony. At the end of a debate on a motion, Mr Speaker puts the motion to the House. The Members say firmly together either "Aye" or "No" and Mr Speaker announces the result on the basis of the oral response. Any Member may then call for a Division and a count is conducted by the Secretary. Members announce their vote when their name is called. All Members present must vote, with the exception of Mr Speaker who may abstain. Mr Speaker then announces the result of the ballot. In some circumstances, notably elections to the Legislative Council and elections to committees appointed by the House, there is a secret ballot. Unless they have obtained leave of absence, members are required to attend the House throughout each of its sittings.