Scotland's Islands Areas
Guidelines for UK Government departments.
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The communities represented by Scotland’s three remote island councils - Shetland, Orkney and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - have significant development potential in a number of areas, most notably energy resources, but also face challenges due to their geographic location.
The Framework for the Islands committed the UK Government to support the Islands to develop their strengths, assisting them to overcome these challenges where possible. The framework includes the establishment of the ‘Islands proofing’ principle which would “seek to ensure that policy and legislation take account of islands’ circumstances, where practicable”.
This document explains how the Scotland Office, with input from the Islands Councils, will work with other UK Government Departments to deliver against this commitment. It also aims to support UK Government officials in all Departments who are developing policies relevant to Islands communities to understand the unique set of challenges faced by Island communities, and how this may influence the delivery of policy in those areas.