Ability above diversity, says Tynwald president

New-look LegCo prepares for maiden Tynwald

The President of Tynwald says ability is the most important thing for new members of the Legislative Council, not diversity.

Some months ago, as Tynwald was mulling over Lord Lisvane's set of reform recommendations, a key objective was to address the need for diversity in parliament.

It was later decided as a matter of policy that the President 'should be tasked with increasing the diversity' of candidates for the Legislative Council.

However, Steve Rodan says having capable candidates is more important than addressing any imbalances in age or gender: