There were no closures in Shetland and three closures in Orkney and in the Western Isles.

BBC: Norovirus caused more than 1,000 Scottish ward closures

Highland, Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles councils have been campaigning to have the emergency towing vessels kept.

BBC: Three-month extension' for Scotland's coastguard tugs

The Island health boards, made up of Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles NHS areas, had the lowest figure at 6.1.

BBC: Tayside has highest abortion rate

Of the constituencies named in the review, two are defined in the legislation: Na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles) and Orkney and Shetland.

BBC: Plan to cut Scottish MPs revised by Boundary Commission

He said he did not oppose treating Orkney and Shetland and the Western Isles as special cases - but he said there were others, like Anglesey and the Isle of Wight, who should be given the opportunity to be treated differently as well.

BBC: Peers' threat to AV voting reform referendum defeated

From past experience helping to organise trips to Orkney by Canadians and others investigating their connections with the Northern Isles, the former tourism chief said ancestral tourism could benefit local communities.

BBC: North Highland College launches online ancestry courses

The Northern Isles did well in the report, with both Shetland and Orkney featuring in the top three areas.

BBC: Shetland leads Bank of Scotland Quality of Life list

Primary school class sizes are smallest in the Western Isles (14 pupils), followed by Shetland Islands and Orkney (both 17).

BBC: Shetland tops 'Bank of Scotland Quality of Life' list

The flood alerts for Monday have been put in place for Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Arran, Caithness and Sutherland, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee and Angus, Orkney, Scottish Borders, Skye and Lochaber, Tayside, West Central Scotland, Wester Ross and the Western Isles.

BBC: Container in North Berwick harbour