Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s human rights due diligence guidance sets out recommendations on how we, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies should undertake due diligence on an individual or company’s human rights record before entering into an “investment relationship”.

This should include an assessment of whether an individual or company, including any parent or subsidiary, has been associated with human rights abuses anywhere in the world.

It is for the accountable officer of each agency and non-departmental public body to ensure that their organisation complies with guidance issued by Scottish ministers.

Following a debate in Parliament in February 2025, a Parliamentary motion (S6M-16571) was passed calling on Scottish Enterprise to: “review its human rights due diligence checks to ensure that they take account of where products’ end use is, and that they fully comply with legal obligations under the Export Control Act 2002 and international law”.

Scottish Enterprise confirmed in November 2025 that its updated human rights due diligence policy and procedure was finalised and being operationalised in a phased manner. The former Deputy First Minister updated Parliament on 11 December (S6W-42527) outlining the improvements confirmed by Scottish Enterprise, which included:

• An increase in the frequency of human rights due diligence checks, to every 12 months to maintain ongoing vigilance and responsiveness.
• Removal of previous exemptions and broadening of the scope of human rights due diligence checks.
• Enhanced online screening, supplemented by follow-up engagement with customers as necessary.
• Introduction of targeted customer checks, including the requirement for a customer statement specifically addressing items and activities governed by the UK Strategic Export Controls regime.
• The establishment of an internal Senior Review Group to provide strategic input and support operational decision-making.

Separately, in September 2025, the Scottish Government paused payment of new business grants to, or investment in, companies involved in the design, production, supply, and support of military equipment, technologies and services whose products or services are provided to specific identified countries, where there is plausible evidence of genocide being committed by that country.