THE Scottish Government has been accused of a "lack of transparency" over its failure to give an update on a review into human rights checks into arms companies which receive state support – four months after it was first pledged.
Back in February, MSPs backed a review into grants given by government agency Scottish Enterprise (SE) to weapons firms linked to Israel.
The Scottish Government also pledged to look at "due diligence" procedures around state support for arms, which is being carried out internally by SE. No detail has been given on the status or make-up of the review, with the Scottish Government previously saying that MSPs would be updated once the review is complete.
Since their introduction in 2019 – following criticism of the previous regime – not a single company has ever failed SE's human rights checks, according to data obtained by The Ferret and Amnesty International.
SE has given £8 million to 13 companies involved in weapons manufacturing since 2019, including £1.1m to Thales UK in 2022 and £600,000 to Raytheon Systems in 2021-22 – both of which supply weapons to Israel.
However, the Scottish Government has always maintained that the funding does not go directly to the production of munitions, and that the "due diligence" checks are thorough.
Speaking in Holyrood on Wednesday, Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman called on the Scottish Government to provide an "urgent update" on the review.
Chapman (above) said: "Despite supposed human rights due diligence checks, companies like Raytheon – who produce weapons and military components used by the Israeli state to inflict unimaginable harms on Palestinians in Gaza – they've recently received public subsidies from Scottish Enterprise.
"FOI data from Amnesty International found that as of May this year, still not a single company has ever failed these checks.
"We called this out in February and the Scottish Government said it would review Scottish Enterprise's human rights due diligence process.
"We've asked time and time again for an update. So, once again, will the Deputy First Minister finally provide an urgent update on the progress of the review before the summer recess?"
Forbes (below) responded: "Well, this was obviously a Labour Party amendment – that part is often forgotten, I think, by the Labour Party – to review Scottish Enterprise's due diligence work.
"I will keep the Parliament updated on that review and perhaps I could just draw attention to the fact that the subject of the debate back in February was about Scottish Government funding for defence, which seems to have been forgotten by the opposition."
The Deputy First Minister was criticised for a "lack of transparency" over the review process by human rights organisation Amnesty International.
Neil Cowan, Amnesty International UK's Scotland programme director, said it would be "unacceptable" for ministers not to be updated on the review before the summer recess.
Cowan told The National: “The Deputy First Minister’s response today did nothing to reassure us about the lack of transparency surrounding this process. It seems that Scottish Enterprise is going to be allowed to mark its own homework with the full backing of Scottish ministers.
“We cannot understand the reluctance to hold an independent review which invites input from human rights experts. Everyone involved should share the goal of ensuring Scottish public money is not supporting companies implicated in the most serious human rights violations imaginable, including genocide.
“It would be completely unacceptable for Parliament to begin two months of parliamentary recess without hearing more about the status and make-up of this review.
"The very least the Deputy First Minister can do is to provide an update and provide MSPs with the chance to scrutinise plans.”
'The world is watching'
Commenting later on Wednesday, Chapman expressed her "disappointment" at the Deputy First Minister's response.
She told The National: “Despite repeated assurances, there is still no meaningful update on the promised review of Scottish Enterprise’s so-called ‘human rights due diligence’ - a process so weak that no company, not even those arming the Israeli military, has ever failed it.
“Raytheon and other arms companies are profiting from public money while producing weapons used in atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza. The Scottish Government cannot continue to hide behind vague non-answers while these injustices continue.
“The world is watching. We expect better. Gaza has been turned to rubble - hospitals, schools, homes - all destroyed. The Scottish Government must urgently release the findings of the review before summer recess, and start taking its human rights obligations seriously.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government and its enterprise and skills agencies do not provide funding for the manufacture of arms or munitions.
“Scottish Ministers will update the Scottish Parliament when Scottish Enterprise’s review is complete.”
