Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

13 Preparation of island communities impact assessment by Ministers

(1) The Scottish Ministers must prepare an island communities impact assessment in relation to legislation which, in their 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 Scotland.

(2) In subsection (1), “legislation” means—

(a) a Bill for an Act of the Scottish Parliament which the Scottish Ministers intend to introduce in the Parliament, and

(b) subordinate legislation which is—

(i) to be made by the Scottish Ministers and is subject to the negative procedure, or

(ii) to be laid in draft before the Scottish Parliament and, subject to the affirmative procedure, to be made by the Scottish Ministers.

(3) An island communities impact assessment prepared under subsection (1) must—

(a) describe the likely significantly different effect of the legislation,

(b) assess the extent to which the Scottish Ministers consider that the legislation can be developed in such a manner as to improve or mitigate, for island communities, the outcomes resulting from the legislation, and

(c) set out the financial implications of steps taken under this subsection to mitigate, for island communities, the outcomes resulting from the legislation.

(4) An island communities impact assessment under subsection (1) is taken to be an islands communities impact assessment under section 8(1) in relation to the policy, strategy or service of the Scottish Ministers to be implemented by the legislation.