The final sitting of the House of Keys this year takes place today (Tuesday) - with the unusual scenario of being held a week after the December Tynwald.

It is rare for the Keys to sit between the December Tynwald and Christmas Day, although it is not believed this has anything to do with MHKs moonlighting as elves in Santa’s workshop.

We cannot say the same for MLCs, who are not sitting today. The reasons for the desire of some MHKs to spend one more day at the parliamentary coalface in 2018 are two-fold.

Firstly, Treasury department member Bill Shimmins was keen for progress to be made on the Credit Unions (Amendment) Bill, which updates regulatory powers. He didn’t want to wait until the fourth week of January before the detailed scrutiny that comes with the clauses stage.

Secondly, Policy and Reform Minister Chris Thomas was keen to table a motion that would enable the Council of Ministers (Amendment) Bill - removing MLCs from the voting process for a chief minister - to be sent to Tynwald for signature, before becoming law

In the kind of complicated set of arrangements that comes with a tricameral parliamentary system, the Keys has the power to do so in instances when Legislative Council blocks a piece of legislation, as it did with this bill. But there is a time limit within which to do it.

Speaker Juan Watterson - who chairs a committee that wished to see further scrutiny of the legislation in question, before turning it into a law - appeared to have misgivings about this, but it is on the agenda.

Mr Watterson, as the presiding officer, will most likely have to keep his own counsel while MHKs discuss the matter.

He has also questioned why it is Mr Thomas and not Alfred Cannan - who brought forward the bill originally, although he was a backbench MHK at the time - who has tabled the motion. Perhaps Mr Cannan will enlighten him.

Naturally, as there are MHKs gathered, there are some questions tabled, although only four, for oral answer.

They include pension changes for women born in the 1950s, vacant doctors’ posts, pharmaceutical services tenders and export licences.

Topics for written questions include incapacity benefit and crypto currency.