Part 2 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 requires the Scottish Ministers to publish a national islands plan, which is subject to review every five years.
Read the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018
The plan is “to set out the main objectives and strategy of the Scottish Ministers in relation to improving outcomes for island communities that result from, or are contributed to by, the carrying out of functions of a public nature”.
The first national islands plan was published and laid before the Scottish Parliament on 27 December 2019. It set out 13 strategic objectives and over 100 commitments to be delivered over the five-year lifetime of the plan.
Read the first national islands plan
An annual report must be presented to the Parliament each year setting out what progress has been made towards meeting the plan’s objectives and commitments.
Within four years of receiving Royal Assent on the Act, Scottish Ministers must publish a report on the operation of the Act. The report was published on 5 July 2022.
Read the report on the implementation of the 2018 Act, published on 5 July 2023
The Committee’s consideration of the first national islands plan included:
Due to its legislative workload, the Committee did not consider the first national islands plan in the second half of the session and did not have time to consider the draft second national islands plan before it was finalised.
The national islands plan was discussed at the following Committee meetings:
The Committee sent and received the following correspondence:
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural affairs, Land Reform and Islands, 4 December 2025
Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, 30 August 2023