Draft Disability Assistance for Older People (Scotland) Regulations 2024: Draft Island Communities Impact Assessment

Key Findings

47. This section provides an overview of the issues for Scottish island and remote communities that are relevant to these regulations. Island stakeholders have emphasised the importance of understanding the island experience.

48. Each island has its own specific considerations and constraints. Rural Scotland accounts for 98% of the Scottish landmass, with 17% of the population residing there.^[11]

49. At the time of the 2011 Census, Scotland had 93 inhabited islands, with a total population of 103,700. This was 2% of the Scottish population.^[12] Of these islands, only five are connected to the Scottish mainland by bridge or causeway.

50. Part 4 of the Islands Act identifies six local authorities representing island communities. These are: Argyll and Bute Council; Comhairle nan Eilean Siar/Western Island Council; Highland Council; North Ayrshire Council; Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council. Amongst them, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles are entirely island authorities, while Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire cover island regions as well as mainland regions.