He is responsible for controlling the procedure of the House and for the authoritative interpretation of its standing orders.
Thus when Edward Moore Gawne resigned in 1867, he was the first Speaker not to die in office.
Since then, although it is possible to resign the office, or nowadays even to fail to be re-elected, all Speakers died in office until Charles Kerruish in 1990, with the exception of John Robert Kerruish, who was elected to the Legislative Council in 1919.
Speakers dress in the same official dress as the Speaker of the House of Commons: a black silk damask gold lace robe with full bottom wig for state occasions and a black silk gown for normal day business.
On 27 September 2016, Juan Watterson was elected as Speaker, the youngest person to hold the office since John Senhouse Goldie-Taubman.