Chamber and committees

Censure and Apology on the Anniversary of the Chinese Agreement - Amendment

Submitted by: Keith Brown, Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Scottish National Party.
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2017
Motion reference: S5M-04919.2
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, 29 March 2017

As an amendment to motion S5M-04919 in the name of Willie Rennie (Censure and Apology on the Anniversary of the Chinese Agreement), leave out from "notes that extensive" to end and insert “recognises that Scotland has a strong track record in attracting investment as evidenced by the fact that Scotland has ranked as the best place for inward investment outside London for five of the last six years; further recognises that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was about developing a working relationship to explore potential investment and that no legal, contractual or funding obligations on behalf of the Scottish Government have been made and there has been no engagement with the company since September 2016; notes with concern the human rights record of China Railway No.3 Engineering Group’s parent company, China Railway Group; regrets that the signing of the MoU gave rise to concerns, and commits to considering and taking account of these concerns in any future such situations; agrees that the Scottish Government must always consider the human rights implications of its engagement with countries and business; believes that investment agreements should only be signed where appropriate due diligence, including on the human rights record of companies involved, has been undertaken; welcomes Scottish Government engagement with Amnesty International and other organisations on human rights ahead of international engagements, and believes that, with appropriate care, it is possible for international trade to co-exist with support for human rights around the world.”