Islands (Scotland) Act 2018

8 Island communities impact assessment

(1) A relevant authority must prepare an island communities impact assessment in relation to a—

(a) policy,

(b) strategy, or

(c) 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.

(2) Subsection (1) applies to the development, delivery and redevelopment of the policy, strategy or service (as the case may be).

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

(4) If a relevant authority does not prepare an island communities impact assessment in relation to a—

(a) policy,

(b) strategy, or

(c) service,

which has an effect on an island community, it must publish, as soon as reasonably practicable afterwards and in such manner as it considers appropriate, an explanation of its reasons for not doing so.