Chamber and committees

One of the first provisions introduced by the ground-breaking Island (Scotland) Act 2018 was a duty on Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Islands Plan. From April to July 2019, we consulted widely on what was important to our island communities. The result of this consultation, was the publication of the National Islands Plan in December 2019.

I am proud to say that the Scottish Government’s first Annual Report of the National Islands Plan has been laid in Parliament today. The production of this report marks a key milestone in the implementation of the National Islands Plan. I am heartened to see progress being made despite the difficulties posed by the unprecedented events of 2020.

During the pandemic, we had to re-prioritise our efforts to support our island communities. This has had a direct impact on the implementation of the Plan itself, and as such many of the previously envisaged timescales have been extended. However, despite this, I am pleased to tell you that progress has still been made towards the majority of the commitments in the National Islands Plan.

Aligned to the National Islands Plan and as required by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, we also introduced new regulations that brought the need to conduct Island Communities Impact Assessments into force in December 2020. We look forward to continuing to support the relevant authorities and our island communities to ensure that these assessments promote island proofing across the board.