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Possibility of public committee broadcasts

Tynwald has passed a motion that will enable Manx Radio to broadcast the public evidence of all select committees at some point in the future.

The issue was brought forward by the Chairman of the Tynwald Management Committee, Speaker of the House of Keys Steve Rodan (pictured).

He said it would be on the same basis as Tynwald is currently broadcast, although he stressed it would only start when adequate resources could be made available to enable non-selective broadcasting to take place.

Beth Espey reports:

During the debate members highlighted the importance of broadcasting the public proceedings in their entirety to ensure the listener had access to the whole story rather than edited highlights.

Juan Turner MLC questioned the amount of resources that would be needed to carry this out, saying that live feeds could be automatically connected to transmitters therefore doing away with the need for manpower.

Other members were concerned this motion would signal a blank cheque for Manx Radio, while Mr Gill suggested the public might not be as keen on hearing all the details of committees as members might like to think.

On the whole Tynwald welcomed the idea of giving the Manx public the ability to access the hearings at a time most convenient for them. To that end some felt that internet broadcasting might be the most appropriate move.

Onchan MHK Adrian Earnshaw and Juan Turner MLC were the only ones to oppose the move.

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