Introduction

1.1 Purpose

AECOM was commissioned by Transport Scotland (TS) to undertake a series of impact assessments on Scotland’s National Transport Strategy 2 (NTS2) Delivery Plans for 2020-2022. This includes the following:

Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA)
Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA)
Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA)
Island Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA)
Health Inequality Impact Assessment (HIIA)
Business Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA), and
Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) (if required)

This report sets out an assessment of impacts on island communities of the strategic policies within the NTS2 Delivery Plan 2020–22.

1.2 ICIA process

A screening report was produced prior to a period of consultation between November 2021 and January 2022 on the ICIA and the other impact assessments. The feedback and findings of the consultation have contributed towards completing this full ICIA on the NTS Delivery Plan 2020-22. A separate Consultation Report has been produced to provide an overview of the consultation process and a summary of responses and feedback.

1.3 The NTS Delivery Plan 2020-2022

The NTS sets out the vision for Scotland’s transport system to 2040: “a sustainable, inclusive, safe and accessible transport system, helping deliver a healthier, fairer and more prosperous Scotland for communities, businesses and visitors". NTS2 outlines four Priorities for the transport system: Reduces inequalities, Takes climate action, Helps deliver inclusive economic growth and Improves our health and wellbeing.

The first NTS Delivery Plan sets out 199 broad actions the Scottish Government (SG) is taking to deliver on its vision and priorities to the end of March 2022, taking account of the impact of COVID-19.

1.4 Relevant legislation, policy and plans

The ICIA assesses the impacts of each of the policies within the NTS Delivery Plan and will help to demonstrate TS’s compliance with the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, which it has a legal duty to consider in the delivery of its policies, programmes and projects.

The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

Section 3 of The Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 (Scottish Parliament, 2018) required Scottish Ministers to prepare a National Islands Plan to set out the duty of relevant authorities within the meaning of the Act to consider the impacts of policies, strategies, and services on island communities.

Part 2 - Section 3 lists the outcomes considered in the National Islands Plan for improving island communities. These include:

(a) increasing population levels,

(b) improving and promoting -

(i) sustainable economic development,

(ii) environmental wellbeing,

(iii) health and wellbeing, and

(iv) community empowerment

(d) improving digital connectivity,

(e) reducing fuel poverty,

(f) ensuring effective management of the Scottish Crown Estate (that is, the property, rights and interests to which section 90B(5) of the Scotland Act 1998 applies), and

(g) enhancing biosecurity (including protecting islands from the impact of invasive non-native species).

Part 3 - Section 7 outlines relevant authorities’ duty to have regard to island communities in carrying out its functions. Section 8 of this Act requires the Scottish Ministers, as a relevant authority, to prepare an island communities impact assessment in relation to a policy, strategy, or service, which, in the authority's opinion, is likely to have an effect on an island community which is significantly different from its effect on other communities (including other island communities) in the area in which the authority exercises its functions.

An ICIA must:

(a) describe the likely significantly different effect of the policy, strategy, or service (as the case may be), and

(b) assess the extent to which the authority considers that the policy, strategy or service (as the case may be) can be developed or delivered in such a manner as to improve or mitigate, for island communities, the outcomes resulting from it.

The National Islands Plan 2019

In December 2019, Scottish Ministers published the first ever National Islands Plan (Scottish Government, 2019) which was created with the input of many islanders and those with a strong interest in Scotland’s islands.

The Plan sets out 13 Strategic Objectives which are critical to improving the quality of life for island communities.

Strategic Objective 1: To address population decline and ensure a healthy, balanced population profile
Strategic Objective 2: To improve and promote sustainable economic development
Strategic Objective 3: To improve transport services
Strategic Objective 4: To improve housing
Strategic Objective 5: To reduce levels of fuel poverty
Strategic Objective 6: To improve digital connectivity
Strategic Objective 7: To improve and promote health, social care and wellbeing
Strategic Objective 8: To improve and promote environmental wellbeing and deal with biosecurity
Strategic Objective 9: To contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation and promote clean, affordable and secure energy
Strategic Objective 10: To empower diverse communities and different places
Strategic Objective 11: To support arts, culture and language
Strategic Objective 12: To promote and improve education for all throughout life, and
Strategic Objective 13: To support effective implementation of the National Islands Plan

Fairness is a key value that underpins the National Islands Plan and reflects the Scottish Government’s commitment to equality and human rights. The Plan recognises that every member of society has a right to live with dignity and to enjoy high quality public services wherever they live. This commitment is also included as a National Outcome within Scotland’s National Performance Framework.

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