Scottish Parliament – May 21, 2025 – 2

S6M-17598.1: As an amendment to motion S6M-17598 in the name of Mairi Gougeon (Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities), leave out from first “welcomes” to end and insert “notes the first ever national islands plan;

believes that much more needs to be done to support island communities;

recognises that depopulation is a major issue impacting the islands and that not enough work has been undertaken to counteract this;

notes that the Scottish Government has not used the powers available to it to 'island proof' policy, resulting in the need to shelve policies such as Highly Protected Marine Areas, the ban on wood burning stoves, and the island bonds plans;

believes that the Scottish Government-caused ferry fiasco has had a disastrous effect on the economy, wellbeing and future of many islands;

further believes that a new procurement plan that ensures the timely replacement of all ferries is vital;

recognises that islanders are best placed to make the decisions affecting their communities, and calls, therefore, on the Scottish Government to empower island communities and ensure that there is proper local representation on ferry boards for CalMac and CMAL.”

Original motion(S6M-17598): That the Parliament recognises Scotland's islands' invaluable contribution to Scotland’s economy, culture and identity;

welcomes the investments that have accompanied Scotland’s first ever national islands plan;

recognises the positive impact that the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018 has had, but notes the need for further action to tackle island challenges;

welcomes the extensive community engagement to develop the new national islands plan, and notes that measures to address depopulation and create community wealth should be key themes of the new plan;

further welcomes the positive progress and impact of the Carbon Neutral Islands project, and agrees that the Scottish Government should continue to work towards prosperous and sustainable island communities.