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No, I have given the example of how we have changed an area on the back of an island communities impact assessment. We have to publish those impact assessments as well. As I say, there is a process in place if there is disagreement as to the information that is there or how the assessment has been undertaken, but we take the impact assessments seriously.

Also, if we or another public authority determine that an assessment should not be undertaken, that information has to be published, so we are aiming to be as transparent as possible in outlining how our island communities have been taken into consideration as we are developing various policies or strategies.

I am happy to outline that, but it is important to remember that all the commitments have either been fulfilled or are on-going. With some of the commitments, it will not simply be a case of ticking them off, because they will be on-going. Some of the strategic objectives and projects that are under way—for example, those under objective 11, which relates to arts, heritage and culture—will be things that we will continue to do. Some of the commitments in relation to that area and to others will be on-going instead of being completely fulfilled.

As for progress from last year, we have fulfilled an additional five commitments. Some key areas of progress can be found, for example, under strategic objective 12 and the commitments that we have set out on the young islanders network. I was happy to be able to launch that network last summer, in Orkney, and we have seen its development. It has been great to see the young islanders joining and featuring in our national islands plan delivery group. As part of that, they also feature on the islands programme investment panel. It has been really great to see the development of that network and how it has continued to grow and increase its engagement.

Another commitment that we have fulfilled is on the islands passport, which has been launched and which the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership is continuing to monitor. There are also a few commitments in relation to national planning framework 4, which is now being implemented. The commitments that we have made in the national islands plan in recognition of our island communities have been recognised in that framework, too.

We should also not forget the islands programme itself. I was proud to announce the 13 projects that had been successful in the programme funding round that was launched earlier this year. I think that you can see from the commitments that we have set out and the implementation route map that goes alongside them that an awful lot of work is going on, but we have fulfilled some commitments, based on where we were last year.

I am happy to take any feedback on that. As you say, and as we have also highlighted today, we have already reviewed the guidance on the basis of feedback about how we undertake the assessments. We are constantly trying to make improvements wherever we can.

I am confident that we will continue to make progress. As I said, the progress that we have made during the past year can be seen, and the work is continuing.

We can see that from some of the commitments in the plan. A lot of the outcomes will be on-going, because we want to see continued improvement. I do not think that you would like it if I came to the committee and outlined that we have ticked a box, so we can move on and focus on something else. The review of the national islands plan—which I spoke about—is also important, because we have to ensure that the objectives in the plan still meet the needs of our island communities and that they reflect the priorities that island communities want us to focus on.

If you look across the board at the full suite of objectives, you will see that we are continuing to work on them. For example, a number of threads of work are on-going on strategic objective 1, which is on population. We are working on the talent attraction and migration service, and we are continuing to work on the addressing depopulation action plan, which is a key commitment. We are continuing to work, and we are trying—where we can, and wherever possible—to improve outcomes for our island communities.

That is really important. We want to make sure that that voice is featured strongly as we move through the implementation of the plan and in the actions that we have set out. That is where the work is.

A couple of different bodies help us with the implementation of the plan and its monitoring. We have the islands strategic group, which the local authorities sit on; its next meeting is coming up shortly. We also have the national islands plan delivery group, and that is where you really see that engagement. A number of bodies are represented in that group, including Highlands and Island Enterprise, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish Islands Federation and the CalMac community board. As I mentioned earlier, representatives from the young islanders network are in it as well. The group has been convened in part to help us look at issues as they emerge; for example, it has had meetings to discuss the cost of living crisis. The group has been really helpful in getting that feedback, having those conversations, and, as you say, making sure that we have that voice feeding into the process. Officials might want to give more information on the islands plan delivery group in particular.

If there are particular issues there, I am more than happy to follow them up with you after the meeting, or directly with the committee.

ICIAs are a mechanism that we must use in developing policies, but they are not the only mechanism by which we engage with communities. We have highlighted some of the other examples. We have the national islands plan delivery group and we have the strategic group, where we engage with councils. There is also the engagement that Francesco Sindico talked about with various island stakeholders.

I would not want anybody to think that ICIAs are the only mechanism by which they can make their views on a policy known. Obviously, we want to consult and engage with communities as much as we can in the course of policy development. While some of the bodies have a particular role, we also have informal engagement with our stakeholders and with communities. ICIAs are by no means the only mechanism by which they can have a say or have influence.

Although £1 million has been allocated to the CNI project, as Francesco Sindico has said, it is by no means the only investment that is being made. We have the islands programme, but, when you look at other areas, there is spend across all other parts of Government that will have an impact, not to mention how the islands growth deal can contribute.

We know that fuel poverty is a massive issue. Finding innovative ways to address some of the issues that we are facing was the subject of conversations that I had in Shetland last week. Our islands are at the forefront of innovation. Look at the energy that is produced and the fact that the islands are responsible for contributing it—yet our islands suffer the greatest rates of fuel poverty. Those issues are complex, because we do not have all the levers to fix them. However, the project allows us to look at how we can best tackle fuel poverty in communities. Although the committee’s discussion is focused on carbon neutrality, you will, no doubt, be aware of some of the other schemes on fuel poverty and the particular focus on islands in that regard.

There is a list of bodies that are expected to undertake island communities impact assessments—they are set out in the schedule. There are 71 bodies listed there. I would be happy to send that information to the committee, if you would find that helpful.