Tynwald, the Manx parliament, is the oldest continuous parliament in the world. It is of Norse origin and more than 1000 years old.

The Legislative Buildings in Douglas are the seat of Tynwald, which has two branches, the Legislative Council and the House of Keys, which meet separately to consider legislation but also together as Tynwald Court.

The House of Keys is the lower branch of Tynwald. It has 24 members directly elected, every five years, from 15 constituencies.  The House of Keys sits in public each week on a Tuesday from 10:00 except on the third Tuesday of the month and in recess periods.

The Legislative Council is the upper branch of Tynwald and its 11 members are either directly elected or sit ex officio. The Legislative Council sits in public each week on Tuesday from 10:30am except on the third Tuesday of the month and during recess periods.

Tynwald Court sits in public on the third Tuesday of every month from October to June and on the Tuesday following Tynwald Day, (the Island’s national day that falls on July 5th). The sittings are for up to three consecutive days, depending on the volume of business, and commence each day at 10:30.