Overview of the Act
3.The Act puts in place a framework of measures reflecting the unique challenges faced by Scotland’s island communities. It is intended to give effect to a range of policy changes to improve outcomes for island communities in Scotland.
4.The Act contains 32 sections, arranged into 8 Parts, as follows:
	Part 1 – Key definitions. This Part sets out for the purposes of the Act the definition of an “island”, “inhabited island” and “island community”.
	Part 2 – National islands plan. This Part places a duty on the Scottish Ministers to prepare, lay before the Scottish Parliament and publish a national islands plan. The plan will set out the overarching objectives and strategy of the Scottish Ministers for improving the outcomes of island communities across Scotland.
	Part 3 – Duties in relation to island communities. This Part requires certain Scottish public authorities, including the Scottish Ministers, to have regard to island communities when exercising their functions and to prepare impact assessments in relation to island communities in certain circumstances, including for Ministers after a request for a retrospective impact assessment. It also includes duties on the Scottish Ministers to establish a scheme for requests for devolution of functions and to consult island communities in relation to certain policies, strategies and services. Finally, it places a duty on Ministers, local authorities and certain Scottish public authorities to comply with the new Shetland mapping requirement or to state reasons why they have not.
	Part 4 – Representation of island communities. This Part provides for the protection of the Scottish Parliamentary constituency boundary of Na h-Eileanan an Iar from variation. It also allows for an exception to be made, in respect of areas with inhabited islands, to the usual three or four member ward rule for local government electoral wards.
	Part 5 – Additional powers requests. This Part provides a regulation-making power which the Scottish Ministers must use to create a scheme for additional powers requests from local authorities.
	Part 6 – Development in the Scottish island marine area. This Part provides a regulation-making power for the Scottish Ministers to create a licensing scheme in relation to any works in or under the sea in the coastal waters surrounding islands for up to 12 nautical miles.
	Part 7 – Delegation of functions relating to regional marine plans. This Part amends the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 to allow Ministers to delegate regional marine planning to a single local authority in any of the three Scottish marine regions of the Orkney Islands, the outer Hebrides and the Shetland Isles, in order that the single authority can carry out the functions related to preparing a regional marine plan.
	Part 8 – Final provisions. This Part makes provision about a report on the operation of the Act, regulations made under the Act, about the Act’s commencement, and about its short title.
5.The Act also contains a schedule listing the relevant public authorities to whom the duties in sections 7 to 12 in relation to island communities apply.