The Ministerial System of Government
Committee Call for Evidence
The Standing Committee of Tynwald on Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice is reviewing the Ministerial System of Government of the Isle of Man. The Committee wishes to understand the effectiveness of the change over from a board system of governance in 1986 to a Ministerial System of Government which remains in place today.
Board System of Governance pre-1986
Prior to 1986, the Isle of Man was operating through a system of "Boards", which had individual legal personalities and had numerous members including some who were Members of Tynwald.
Before a change to the Ministerial System of Government in the 1980s, the Lieutenant Governor presided over Tynwald with the help of an Executive Council and a wide variety of boards and Committees of Tynwald whose functions were frequently advisory rather than executive.
The chairman of the Executive Council was the Lieutenant Governor until 1980, when he was replaced by a Chairman elected by Tynwald.
The Ministerial System of Government post-1986
During the early 1980s, changes took place to reform the way in which the executive powers on the Isle of Man were exercised.
Reform to a Ministerial System of Government took place through the introduction of three pieces legislation:
The Government Departments Act 1987
The Statutory Boards Act 1987
The Council of Ministers Act 1990
The Chairman was renamed Chief Minister in 1986, and the council was renamed Council of Ministers in 1990.
The Chief Minister is now the executive head of the Government on the Isle of Man and is nominated by Tynwald from amongst its own Members and is appointed by His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor.
The Chief Minister selects the Ministers which overall forms the Council of Ministers.
The Chief Minister and their Ministers are responsible for the eight government departments, together with the eight statutory boards.
The President of Tynwald now presides over Tynwald Court when the House of Keys and the Legislative Council sit together during their monthly joint sitting.
Public Oral Evidence Hearing
As part of their inquiry into the Ministerial System of Government, the Committee have heard oral evidence in public from Sir Miles Walker CBE, the first Chief Minister on the Isle of Man on the 20th January 2025
Evidence given by Sir Miles Walker CBE on this subject can be viewed here:
Call for Evidence
The Committee is pleased to be issuing this call for evidence as part of its work on this inquiry. The Committee is interested in answering the following questions:
1. What were the original aims of the Ministerial System of Government?
2. Did changing to a Ministerial System of government feel at the time like an improvement on the system it replaced?
3. Looking back over all the time the system has been in place, has it worked?
4. If not, why not?
5. Can the Ministerial System of Government be improved? If so, how?
Submissions should be sent to the address below by noon on 25th April 2025. Email is preferred but hard copy is equally acceptable.
Email: committees@tynwald.org.im
Post: Constitutional and Legal Affairs and Justice Committee, Clerk of Tynwald’s Office, Legislative Buildings, Finch Road, Douglas, IM1 3PW
To read the Privacy Policy for the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office please click this link: https://www.tynwald.org.im/privacy-policy
Please be aware that the Committee may choose to make public any information it receives. Personal contact details are routinely redacted in advance of such publication. If there is any other information in your submission that you do not wish the Committee to publish, or that you believe the Committee should not publish, please explain this in your submission.
To learn more about the Committee’s ongoing work, or to write to it, please visit the Committee’s page on the Tynwald website:
or email committees@tynwald.org.im.
Useful Links and Resources
Below are links to the legislation that implemented the change over from a Board System of Governance to a Ministerial System of Government on the Isle of Man.
Copies of the book Ministerial Government in the Isle of Man – The First Twenty Years by Professor David Kermode can be purchased from Legislative Buildings. Copies are also available in the reference library located on the ground floor of Legislative Buildings - https://tynwald.org.im/visit
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