Human rights due diligence checks and procurement exercises within Scottish Forestry: FOI release

Information requested

Please give me a list of human rights due diligence checks your organisation has conducted since the publication of the Scottish Government document, Guidance on due diligence: human rights, detailing in each case whether or not you proceeded with an investment relationship or business agreement following the undertaking of these checks.

Please also detail any instances of non-compliance with the guidance that have been reported. If unable to provide such a list, please confirm for me whether your organisation was previously aware of or has ever given consideration to this guidance, including whether you are aware of having been notified of it by a representative of the Scottish Government or other public body.

Please also tell me how many investment relationships or agreements your organisation has engaged in since June 2018. This request relates to the types of relationship outlined in the aforementioned guidance as meriting a due diligence check: “any activity which could lead to an investment relationship or agreement with a third party” (source: Guidance on due diligence: human rights - gov.scot).

Response

Since its creation as an agency of the Scottish Government on 1st April 2019, Scottish Forestry has engaged in no investment relationships as outlined in the aforementioned guidance as meriting a due diligence check.

Therefore, no human rights due diligence checks have been undertaken by Scottish Forestry (as none have been required), and there have therefore been no instances of non-compliance with the guidance.

Regarding procurement exercises and grant payments that do not fall under the guidance:

• All procurement exercises undertaken by Scottish Forestry follow the Scottish Government’s procurement processes and best practice as laid out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual and related documents.
• For grants paid under the Forestry Grant Scheme and Rural Priorities funding, and private-led projects seeking grants under the Strategic Timber Transport Fund, applicants must already be registered with the Scottish Government’s Rural Payments and Inspections Division and Scottish Forestry therefore does not undertake additional human rights due diligence. You may wish to contact this Division if you wish to explore the due diligence checks that are undertaken during registration.
• The remaining grants under the Strategic Timber Transport Scheme are mainly paid to local authorities, and therefore do not require additional human rights due diligence to be undertaken as local authorities have their own human rights obligations.

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