First Minister sets out prospectus on two day visit to Orkney

The proposals, which are the result of nearly a year’s collaboration between the Islands Council Leaders and the Scottish Government regarding the Our Islands, Our Future campaign, covers Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles and also extend to all of Scotland’s islands.

According to the Scottish Government, the islands prospectus will show how, with the powers of independence, Scotland’s islands can be empowered to have greater control over their local economies, natural environment and have a guarantee that their concerns on all issues will be heard at the heart of government.

The prospectus will set out opportunities from renewables and aquaculture which would benefit all island communities.

Ahead of the launch in Kirkwall, the First Minister said: “In July 2013, in Shetland, I set out the Lerwick Declaration, that just as we believe the people of Scotland are best placed to make decisions about what happens in Scotland, so we believe in self-determination and the right of local communities to have a greater role in their own future.

“That principle has guided our engagement with Scotland’s islands and is at the heart of these proposals.

“Today, I will set out a further programme of increased powers for Scotland’s island communities. The prospectus, Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities, is the outcome of close partnership working between Islands Council Leaders and the Scottish Government, as part of the Ministerial Working Group established last year.

“The prospectus demonstrates the opportunities independence can bring for Scotland’s islands to secure a better and more prosperous future. In addition, the prospectus will also set out the action that is being taken now in a number of devolved areas.

“Scotland’s islands are special. They are beautiful and diverse, enjoying rich histories, healthy economies and immense prospects for future growth. It is our shared responsibility to ensure they play an essential part in Scotland’s future.

“Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities will help ensure just that. Alongside the Lerwick Declaration and the announcement of a place for Scotland’s islands in the constitution, this prospectus holds opportunities that I hope will be seized across all of our islands.”