National Islands Plan: equality impact assessment

Recommendations and Conclusion

The EQIA recommends that the following actions be embedded within implementation:

1. Inclusive Engagement Ensure meaningful participation of protected groups, including older people, disabled residents, women, young people, minority ethnic communities and LGBTQ+ individuals, in all stages of delivery planning at local level.

2. Trans and LGBTQ+ Inclusion Implementation of the National Islands Plan will incorporate lived experience to help identify and mitigate unintended exclusion, to enable safe, meaningful participation by LGBTQ+ islanders, including through trusted partners and confidential engagement options where appropriate. This will help address concerns raised about visibility and safety in small communities and support the creation of more inclusive island environments.

3. Equality-Responsive Delivery Require delivery partners to demonstrate due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) when designing, implementing, or evaluating actions under each strategic objective. This includes actively considering how their decisions affect individuals with protected characteristics, identifying potential impacts, and taking proportionate steps to mitigate inequalities.

4. Accessibility and Inclusive Design Ensure transport, digital infrastructure, public buildings, housing and community facilities meet accessibility standards and reflect the needs of residents with different abilities, age profiles, age profiles, and other protected characteristics.

5. Improved Data Collection Enhance collection of disaggregated demographic and equality data where population size allows, supplemented by qualitative lived-experience evidence, to inform PSED compliance and targeted interventions.

6. Ongoing Monitoring Incorporate equality indicators into monitoring and evaluation frameworks, with annual reporting on progress, responsive action where negative impacts arise, and evidence that delivery partners are meeting their duties under the PSED.