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I know that the bus provisions had been delayed because of the pandemic and because of on-going work with Brexit. We are due to engage with local authorities and with communities on that, too. I would be happy to take away that issue to look, in particular, at what more support we can provide.

As a Government, we have already given that commitment. I am happy to provide that assurance again today.

Undoubtedly, it has had an impact, with resource having to pivot completely to try to deal with the pandemic as well as EU exit. Despite that, though, and as you will see from the annual report, some actions have been completed, and I would say that we have made good progress right across the piece with the strategic objectives. Although some pieces of work had to be put on hold or delayed because of the pandemic, we have managed to make really good progress in all the different areas.

Coming back to the earlier point about healthcare, I think that, through the pandemic, we have seen such innovations being rolled out, as we have in a lot of other areas. The NHS Near Me service, which has now been rolled out across all health board areas, has been a particular success. There have been other developments in healthcare—I am thinking of, for example, the test of change pilot for diabetes that has been rolled out. I think that we have been fairly successful in working towards the objectives, despite the undoubted impact of the pandemic.

That is why the plan’s implementation and the monitoring of that are important. In an earlier response, I touched on the route map that we will be setting out to detail the actions that we will be taking on each of the commitments. That will be published shortly.

We have talked about the islands strategic forum, and there is also the national islands plan delivery group, which will continue to monitor things and ensure that we are dealing with the challenges being experienced by our island communities. By continuing that collaboration and getting that feedback, I think that what we have set out in the plan and the actions that we will be taking will remain relevant. After all, the route map will be a living document that will have to change. Indeed, as we are seeing every day with the cost of living situation and fuel poverty, different challenges can be thrown at us at the last minute, and it is important that we have a plan that can adapt and adjust to things as necessary.

I think that Nicola Crook would like to come in.

The islands connectivity plan is due to be the successor to the ferries plan. Progress on it had been delayed because of the pandemic, but it will progress this year and I believe that a draft of the plan will be ready for consultation by the end of this year. That is the aim.

I do not know whether officials have further information on the specific details of the connectivity plan and the issue that you have just raised.

Unfortunately, I cannot give the committee a definite date for introducing that legislation. It is ultimately up to Parliament to decide that, but we have committed to it because we know that issues around crofting reform were raised in the most recent session of Parliament and we must address them. We are working on that and will introduce legislation at some point, but I cannot give the committee a definite date at the moment.

Ultimately, it is down to demand and the number of applications that we get to the croft house grant scheme. We have committed to maintaining and supporting the fund because we recognise that it is critical in helping to sustain our crofting communities.

I would be happy to come back to the committee with further information on the amount of funding that we have provided to crofters and how many people we have assisted through the croft house grant scheme, if that would be helpful.

Working with other bodies is absolutely critical in trying to overcome some of the issues. It is simply not possible for us to deliver the objectives and commitments that we have set out on our own or in isolation, and nor would we want to. It is important that we work with others, including local authorities, to overcome the issues.

Jenni Minto touched on the impact of Covid-19. Research on that issue that was undertaken by the James Hutton Institute identified many challenges, but one of the strengths was exactly the point that the member highlighted about the resilience and strong community bonds that exist.

I do not know whether my officials have anything to add on that work by the JHI.

Issues related to that have been considered through the strategic transport projects review, the consultation on which closed last month. As part of that work, there were proposals for fixed links at, I think, the sounds of Barra and Harris. There has been extensive engagement in relation to the development of those proposals, too, so they form part of the STPR.

The officials might have something to add on that point. Otherwise, I would be happy to get back to the committee with further information.