Implementation of the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018: report

Background to the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

The Bill for this Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on 30 May 2018 and received Royal Assent on 6 July 2018.

In 2013 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council launched the 'Our Islands - Our Future' campaign, which sought to ensure that the needs of island areas were taken into account, and the particular nature of Scotland's three main island areas recognised. In response, the Scottish Government formed the Island Areas Ministerial Working Group to consider how Scotland's island areas could be supported and empowered.

In June 2014, the Group published the Empowering Scotland's Island Communities prospectus, which set out proposals for increased autonomy for island communities. In this Scottish Ministers recognised that, while all three island councils are in a unique position, Scotland has 93 inhabited islands in total whose communities could all benefit from greater empowerment.

From 29 September to 23 December 2015, the Scottish Government consulted on provisions for a future Islands Bill. The analysis of responses to this consultation was published in March 2016, along with an Empowering Scotland's Island Communities: Progress Update which outlined the work that we, our agencies and the island councils were doing to help support and sustain Scotland's island communities.

In August 2016, Scottish Ministers established the Islands Strategic Group to help them build upon the work of the previous Island Areas Ministerial Working Group and the Empowering Scotland's Island Communities prospectus.

The Islands (Scotland) Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2018 and is only one of a handful of place-based pieces of legislation to focus specifically on islands in the world. The measures it contains, like the Island Communities Impact Assessment, are designed to meaningfully improve outcomes for island communities now and in the future. The Act also seeks to help create the right environment for sustainable growth and empowered island communities.