Human rights checks conducted by Scottish Enterprise on arms firms seeking government grants are to be scrutinised over fears taxpayers’ money is funding firms linked to human rights abuses.
The Ferret revealed in 2023 that hundreds of due diligence checks had been made on companies seeking grants from Scottish Enterprise (SE), but no firm had failed, despite some having links to states accused of war crimes, including Israel and Saudi Arabia.
A new human rights procedure was introduced by SE in March 2019, following criticism of the public body for funding arms firms selling to countries with poor human rights records.
The Scottish Government’s promise to review human rights checks conducted by SE followed a Scottish Parliament debate yesterday brought by the Scottish Greens in which some MSPs expressed concerns about grants to arms firms.
Deputy first minister Kate Forbes said the government would “review and ensure” that the most robust processes are in place.
SE is a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government which provides business grants using taxpayers’ money.
Its human rights due diligence checks include assessing whether a company has been “associated with human rights abuses anywhere in the world”.
Despite that commitment, SE has given taxpayers’ money to firms linked to countries accused of human rights violations in wars in Gaza and Yemen, as well as two Scottish universities linked to illegal West Bank settlements.
A freedom of information request by The Ferret in 2023 revealed that 199 human rights checks had been conducted by SE and every company passed.
Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: “We welcome the SNP’s commitment to review the human rights checks that are applied, but it should not have taken our debate to make them do that.”
She added: “The new tests need to be far more robust than anything we have had to date, as no human rights check worthy of the name would allow grants to companies that are complicit in genocide.”
Neil Cowan, Scotland programme director at Amnesty International UK, said: “It has long been clear that, with no company ever failing one of the checks, they are not credible and require overhaul.
“It is now essential that the Scottish Government sets out what that review will involve, with it being critical that it includes independent input, review and analysis, and that it is focused on meeting Scotland’s international obligations.”
The Ferret is an independent, investigative journalism cooperative dedicated to holding power to account. Since 2015, we have reported on corruption, environmental issues, human rights, and political influence in Scotland. Our work is supported by members who believe in journalism that challenges, exposes, and informs. If you value in-depth, fact-based reporting, you can support our work by becoming a member. Join us today: https://theferret.scot/subscribe
Main image: Aermacchi M346. Credit: Ronnie Macdonald/Wikimedia
