Yes, please. Good morning.
I thank the committee for the opportunity to speak to the Islands (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. I will, of course, be happy to answer members’ questions about its measures.
The bill is the Parliament’s first-ever islands bill, and I am extremely proud to be leading the bill process. I welcome the committee’s close and careful scrutiny of the bill at stage 1. It has engaged with the communities themselves and heard the views of a wide range of stakeholders. I have listened to and carefully considered all the evidence that has been presented and am encouraged to have heard witnesses’ general agreement on the broad direction of the bill and its measures. I appreciate the consensual and very thoughtful approach that committee members have taken to date, and I hope that that will continue as the bill progresses through the Parliament.
At its very heart, the bill seeks to improve outcomes for our island communities. Our islands make a significant and unique contribution to Scotland’s culture, heritage and economy and, of course, to society as a whole. Our aim is to create the right statutory environment to underpin the economic and social wellbeing of our islands, to enable sustainable economic growth, and to empower island communities.
Through working with island communities and other partners, we are, of course, already addressing many of the challenges that our islands face. That is evident from a wide range of policy initiatives, including those on ferry services, affordable transport, air travel, housing, digital connectivity, economic development, infrastructure and, of course, the Gaelic language. The bill seeks to amplify that work and ensure that there is a sustained focus by all key parties, including the Government, to meet the needs of island communities and create the right conditions for growth.
I want to highlight briefly some of the bill’s key measures. The proposal to develop a national islands plan sits at the very heart of the bill. The plan will set out an agreed strategic direction for the Government and the wider public sector to adopt and implement in the future.
My initial thinking has been to create the space and the opportunity for island communities and other relevant stakeholders to be involved collaboratively in contributing to the content of the plan. The duty to consult in the bill is serious and meaningful. It would seem to be somewhat premature to put more provision relating to the plan in the bill at this stage, before that consultation has been undertaken. However, I understand why committee members and others might want us to provide more content on the plan, and I am happy to consider and discuss that matter.
Island proofing is another key element of the bill. I want all areas of Government and, indeed, the public sector, to be required to consider the specific needs of islands in relevant policy and decision making. I am determined to ensure that island proofing is approached seriously and undertaken meaningfully. To do so requires an element of flexibility. Many island communities share common challenges, although they do not always happen at the same time and they are not always treated with the same priority. Furthermore, some issues are specific to some island communities and not to others.
Public sector bodies clearly have a wide range of functions, roles and responsibilities, too. Being overly prescriptive on how island proofing should be undertaken in the bill could undermine its effectiveness, which is something that all of us wish to avoid. Although I am open to discussion on the matter, I am keen that we get the balance right between the sufficiency of direction in the bill provisions and the appropriate autonomy and space for innovation by public bodies and how they involve and work with island communities, with the practical detail on how they achieve that in the statutory guidance.
The protection of the Scottish parliamentary boundary for the Western Isles has been welcome, as has the flexibility to create one or two-member wards for islands, although I acknowledge that some may want the bill to go further in that regard.
The marine licensing provisions, which are generally seen as positive, create a step-by-step process for any new licensing regime. That recognises the opportunities, but also the risks, because we need to integrate any new regime into the current marine planning and licensing landscape.
I consider that the measures in the bill will provide the right statutory framework and underpinning to enable our shared ambition for Scotland’s islands to be realised. Although I hope that the committee will support the general principles of the bill, I remain open to suggestions that will improve it and, ultimately, the outcomes for our island communities.
I am happy to take questions.