A cultural agreement between the Isle of Man and the Norfolk Islands was signed on 5th July 2011. While on the Isle of Man, as a guest for the Tynwald Day celebrations, Robin Adams, then Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, signed the agreement on behalf of Norfolk Island in the presence of Tynwald Members and guests. On behalf of the Isle of Man the agreement was signed by, then President of Tynwald, Mr Noel Cringle OBE.

Norfolk Island, which was named so by Captain James Cook in 1774, after Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk, is situated in the South Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand. The inhabitants of the island, of which there are approximately 2,300, descend from the HMS Bounty mutineers who settled in 1856 from Pitcairn Island.

Until 2016, the 13.4 square miles island was a self governed Australian territory with a Legislative Assembly which was established in 1979, the year in which Tynwald celebrated its millennium. In 2016 the Legislative Assembly was abolished and replaced with a regional council. Australian law is now enforced on the island.

The cultural agreement, pictured here, states that -

1. The Tynwald Court on the Isle of Man and the Legislative Assembly of Norfolk Island will promote closer links in developing cultural activity
2. The established link between our two islands via The Bounty should be recognised on both Islands on each National Day, i.e. Anniversary (Bounty) Day on the 8th June and Tynwald Day on the 5th July
3. Encouragement should be given to the exchange of music and dance via each local radio station and video recordings
4. Educational establishments should be encouraged to exchange ideas, ultimately with a view to an exchange student scheme
5. As each step is progressed then recognition should be marked in the Hansard of both Parliaments.

Each year the Isle of Man branch sends two delegates to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (the Plenary Conference) at which parliamentary and political issues are discussed in an effort to improve the way parliaments work and to broaden the understanding of members. The same delegates attend the separate Conference of Members from legislatures serving smaller populations (the Small Countries Conference).

The 68th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference was held in Barbados in October 2025. Summary reports of conferences are published and sent direct to all Heads of Governments within the Commonwealth, Leaders of the Opposition, selected Ministers and relevant international organisations so that the views of Commonwealth members may be reflected.

The branch also sends four delegates each year to the Conference of the British Islands and Mediterranean Region. The 53rd Regional Conference was held in 2024 in St Helena, and the 54th Regional Conference was held in Wales in 2025.

The member branches of the Region are: Alderney, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, Northern Ireland, St Helena, Scotland, United Kingdom and Wales. The UK branch hosts an annual seminar on parliamentary practice and procedure which has been held at Westminster since 1951. From time to time the branch is invited to send a member to participate in these seminars. The branch also sends members on study visits to other branches and hosts return visits. It welcomes visiting parliamentarians and on request will contact the Secretariat of any member branch which any of our own members intends to visit, whether officially or privately.

Publications

Members receive copies of the Association's journal The Parliamentarian, which contains articles, reports on political and constitutional developments, description of procedural rulings, parliamentary reports and review of parliamentary books written primarily by and for members and officials, in addition to a newsletter on CPA and Commonwealth parliamentary and political developments entitled First Reading.

Reference Services

The Association also operates the Parliamentary Information and Reference Centre which processes enquiries on political, parliamentary and constitutional matters.

The Annual Reports of the Chairman and Statement of Accounts listed below may be opened by clicking on the pdf document icon.

Please note that with effect 14 December 2010 the annual accounting period was altered to run from 01 March to 01 January annually. The 2010 accounts therefore run from 01 Mar 2010 - 31 Dec 2010.

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The CPA globally publish the 'Recommended Benchmarks for Democratic Legislatures'. They were first published in 2006 and were revised and updated in 2018. The benchmarks provide a minimum standard and guidance on how a parliament should be constituted and how it should function.