Trial video streaming of parliamentary committees

Two Youth Select Committee sessions are set to be video streamed

Live video streaming of some Isle of Man parliamentary sessions are to be trialled for the first time by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald.

Cameras have been installed in the Legislative Council Chamber with a view to allow committee evidence to be streamed online via the Tynwald website.

The first session to be made available will be an evidence session by the Youth Select Committee on Thursday, which will focus on housing and young people.

The office said while streaming parliamentary sessions was "an aspiration" but no commitment could be made due to cost considerations.

A further evidence session by the same committee on ​27 September will also be video streamed.

'Future options'

The video streaming facility being trialled has been developed by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald at the request of the Tynwald Management Committee.

If successful the trial will be extended to public meetings of all parliamentary committees.

The office said while learnings from the trial would help when considering future options, "no commitment can be made at this stage as to when it may become affordable".

The Tynwald Youth Committee was formed in October last year and is made up of seven members aged 15 to 24 years old.

Created to give young people the opportunity to scrutinize and hold inquiries into topics of importance to them, the members have chosen to focus on housing on the Isle of Man.

Thursday's session will take oral evidence from politicians and representatives from a charity that supports residents "in housing crisis".

The committee meets monthly throughout the year to hear evidence on the support available for young people to find "a suitable and affordable place to call home" and will produce report for Tynwald with their findings.

Committee evidence sessions can also be attended in person, or listened to live via an audio stream on the Tynwald website, a service which has been available since 2014.