Question reference: S5W-25733
- Asked by: Beatrice Wishart, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 9 October 2019
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Current status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 October 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date section 14 of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 will come into force.
Answer
Consultation on the development of Island Community Impact Assessments (ICIAs) provisions within the Act has now been completed. Policy development is underway and a timeline for the commencement of section 14 is being finalised.
In the meantime, although there is no duty to do an impact assessment, all Ministerial colleagues have been advised of the provisions of the Islands Act, with the recent Fuel Poverty (Targets Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill being a good example of how Ministers are trying to reflect the need to island proof legislation, in advance of the development of the ICIA tool being finalised.
We have also been advising our agencies and partners, where possible to operate in the spirit of the Act, and to consider island issues in their work bearing in mind that the Act would allow for an impact assessment, to potentially be applied retrospectively, where appropriate.