Chamber and committees

Undoubtedly, it has had an impact, with resource having to pivot completely to try to deal with the pandemic as well as EU exit. Despite that, though, and as you will see from the annual report, some actions have been completed, and I would say that we have made good progress right across the piece with the strategic objectives. Although some pieces of work had to be put on hold or delayed because of the pandemic, we have managed to make really good progress in all the different areas.

Coming back to the earlier point about healthcare, I think that, through the pandemic, we have seen such innovations being rolled out, as we have in a lot of other areas. The NHS Near Me service, which has now been rolled out across all health board areas, has been a particular success. There have been other developments in healthcare—I am thinking of, for example, the test of change pilot for diabetes that has been rolled out. I think that we have been fairly successful in working towards the objectives, despite the undoubted impact of the pandemic.

That is why the plan’s implementation and the monitoring of that are important. In an earlier response, I touched on the route map that we will be setting out to detail the actions that we will be taking on each of the commitments. That will be published shortly.

We have talked about the islands strategic forum, and there is also the national islands plan delivery group, which will continue to monitor things and ensure that we are dealing with the challenges being experienced by our island communities. By continuing that collaboration and getting that feedback, I think that what we have set out in the plan and the actions that we will be taking will remain relevant. After all, the route map will be a living document that will have to change. Indeed, as we are seeing every day with the cost of living situation and fuel poverty, different challenges can be thrown at us at the last minute, and it is important that we have a plan that can adapt and adjust to things as necessary.

I think that Nicola Crook would like to come in.

The islands connectivity plan is due to be the successor to the ferries plan. Progress on it had been delayed because of the pandemic, but it will progress this year and I believe that a draft of the plan will be ready for consultation by the end of this year. That is the aim.

I do not know whether officials have further information on the specific details of the connectivity plan and the issue that you have just raised.

I will say a few words about the Scottish Government’s second annual report on our delivery of the national islands plan for 2021. The report outlines where progress has been made towards each specific commitment in the national islands plan, and it details our projects and resource spend where that is appropriate.

I acknowledge the support that we have received from stakeholders in the past year. We have benefited from vital collaborations with local authorities, island stakeholders and communities themselves.

We have lived, and continue to live, through really challenging times. Approximately 12 weeks after we launched the national islands plan, the country entered lockdown and, like so many other communities across Scotland, our islands faced unprecedented challenges. Islanders experienced issues with supply chains, transport and access to services. Covid-19 has had a deep and lasting impact on the health, wellbeing and finances of many islanders, and we continue to work exceptionally hard to support them in the best way that we can.

Now that we are slowly moving out of the Covid-19 pandemic, the stark rise in energy prices and the associated negative effects on the cost of living are creating a new set of challenges. Islands already face some of the highest levels of fuel poverty, and they are being further impacted by the current energy crisis.

Despite the challenging times, however, the national islands plan continues to provide the Scottish Government with an opportunity and a focus to improve the lives of people on the islands. As you will see in the annual report, I am pleased to see good progress across the national islands plan’s 13 strategic objectives. I do not have time to detail all the work that has been done on every one of those objectives and commitments, but I want to share with the committee a few of the highlights from the report.

First, we have launched a number of funding streams that have enabled island communities not only to better cope through Covid-19, but to develop innovative and transformational projects. Secondly, we are developing the islands bond, which will play a role in tackling depopulation and promoting sustainable economic development on our islands. Thirdly, we have launched the carbon neutral islands project, which will support six islands in their efforts to reach net zero by 2040. Those islands will become climate trailblazers for all other Scottish islands. Fourthly, we are continuing to work with Kerrera and Fair Isle on two major projects, which are transforming both islands in a positive way.

I will be happy to talk about other projects and activities in answering the committee’s questions, but I hope that those examples give the committee a flavour of the range and breadth of work that we have done in relation to the national islands plan.

The cost of living, child poverty, depopulation and the climate are just some of the critical issues that islands face. The Scottish Government takes them all seriously and, together with my colleagues working across other portfolios, we will spare no effort in tackling them decisively.

Delivery of the national islands plan is a journey, and, although we still have a way to go, it is also an opportunity to provide support and capacity to islands so that they can emerge from these challenging times as resilient and, ultimately, more sustainable communities.

Yes—and to work constructively through that process.

A lot of work is going on in that area. We have talked a bit about the islands bond and how it might complement some of the other measures that we are looking at. Through the convention of the Highlands and Islands, we have a population working group, which works with the Scottish Government and the third sector. Francesco Sindico talked about the importance of collaboration. When we are dealing with issues such as this one, collaboration is absolutely critical.

In Government, we also have an expert group on population and migration, which was reconvened in March. Part of the group’s work involves looking at zonal methodologies. The group has been commissioned to scope that out, consider what the boundaries might be, and how they could be implemented and monitored. It is important that those aspects are considered.

Officials might want to touch on the work of the working group, but, before I hand over, I will highlight some of the other initiatives that we are working on. We have a ministerial task force on population, which is due to meet this month. That involves working across Government to consider all those issues.

We have also announced that we will be taking forward a rural visa pilot scheme. That was agreed by Sajid Javid when he was the Home Secretary, based on the recommendations of the Migration Advisory Committee. In countries all over the world, different means and methods are used in relation to migration. Therefore, we have established a working group to start to develop pilot proposals. The reasons behind depopulation are multifaceted and complex, so we need to ensure that we get to grips with all the data and try different initiatives to find a solution that will work for rural communities in Scotland.

I will hand over to the officials in case they have anything to add.

It is vital that we capture that innovation and listen to those ideas. If there is a different way to make things work, it is important that we consider that. It was brilliant to visit Colonsay and see the impact of that project. As I touched on in a previous response, the issue is not a lack of employment. The company there—I think it is Mowi—is investing in homes on the island, and the partnership between the three bodies is critical. The housing on Colonsay is transformative. The challenges with housing hit home when listening to the community. A woman spoke passionately about that: her family had lived on Colonsay for generations, but she was living in a caravan because the majority of homes are second homes and that is shutting young people out of accommodation, even though ample job opportunities are available. That is an exciting initiative.

Wherever we can, we will work with communities and businesses on that—more communities are looking at what they can do to deliver affordable housing, which is important. I want to make sure that we capture that innovation and the different ideas, and that we listen to communities about what will work and what can be delivered in those areas.

Yes, the intention is that the draft plan will be published by the end of this year and available for consultation at that point.

Again, I would have to check that with housing policy officials.

We committed to investment worth £30 million over five years to support the islands programme. We delivered the first part of that—about £9.5 million of investment—last year, and the programme worked over three different strands: the infrastructure investment fund; the communities fund, which communities could bid into for grants of up to £150,000; and the healthy islands fund, which involved just over £1 million of funding for projects that would help to support the health and wellbeing of people on our islands.

We have taken some of the learning from that and have listened to our local authority colleagues in shaping what the programme will look like this year. I was at the committee for the budget session at the start of this year, when we announced £4 million of funding for the programme. This year, it will be different; it will be done on the basis of competitive bids to the fund. That is based on the feedback that we received.

As for projects, I have already talked a bit about the work done in Kerrera and the impact that we have seen there. We have also committed infrastructure fund money to the Fair Isle Bird Observatory, and the rest of the funding available as part of that was allocated to the different island authorities.

The officials might want to come in and talk about some of the other projects that have fed through the different strands of the fund.