Good afternoon, colleagues. We begin with First Minister’s question time. Before we turn to questions, I invite the First Minister to update the Parliament on the Covid pandemic.

1. Presiding Officer, “I have nothing to hide on this—nothing whatsoever.”—[ Official Report , 8 October 2020; c 5.] That is what Nicola Sturgeon said about the Alex...

2. There was applause before I even started. At the heart of the committee that was set up to consider the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints are two women who have...

3. Jackie Baillie has just made a very serious point about the handing over of the name of a complainant to Alex Salmond’s former chief of staff. Just to be clear, is the First Minister...

4. This week, National Records of Scotland revealed that, before the pandemic struck, Scotland had the highest death rate among homeless people in the United Kingdom. As we recover from the...

5. To ask the First Minister how much the tenant hardship loan fund has paid out to date to support tenants who are struggling with rent arrears. (S5F-04852)

6. To ask the First Minister what the anticipated outcomes and timetable are for the case record review into mesh implant surgeries, which is being led, as moderator, by Professor Alison Britton....

7. To ask the First Minister how the risk of Covid-19 transmission within Scottish courts is being mitigated, in light of the increase in prisoners testing positive within the prison estate....

At the weekend, I spoke to constituents from the Isle of Barra, who had had only one ferry from the mainland in the previous 10 days, which meant that perishable essentials such as bread and milk...

T his week, Dr Hector Chawla, the former director of the Princess Alexandra eye hospital here in Edinburgh, said that “the Scottish Government’s withdrawal of support for the proposed...

I asked the chief executive of NHS Tayside this past week at the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee whether he could guarantee the long-term future of the breast cancer service...

As we know, spring is in the offing and thoughts turn to gardening, which is good for the soul in these tough times—I declare an interest in that regard. Although one can buy plants and...

A key recommendation in the report that the citizens assembly produced this past week is that it should be health experts, not politicians, who lead the daily Covid briefings that the Scottish...

In Parliament on Tuesday, the First Minister said that she hoped that communal worship would restart on 5 April, which is the day after Easter Sunday. However, she went on to suggest that it...

Further to Jackson Carlaw’s question about the Britton review on mesh records, will the First Minister undertake that waiting for the results of that review will not in any way hold up a...

All those affected by bullying in NHS Highland feel cheated that the Parliament has not found the time that was promised to debate the Sturrock report. I am still being contacted by former and...

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that the incomes of 45 per cent of those living in the private rented sector had dropped, and that 58 per cent had borrowed or had used up their savings. In a...

The mobile testing units in Dumfries and Galloway have been doing an excellent job under difficult circumstances. However, I have been approached by a constituent who works in one who has told me...

Last week, I asked the First Minister to consider whether offshore workers returning from overseas could quarantine at home, in order to avoid spending—as in one case that was reported to...

The Scottish Government’s cautious approach to Covid has been very successful, and I very much welcome it. If we continue to make good progress, as we have been doing, is it possible that...

Can the First Minister tell me when I will be able to visit my mother in Cumbria and when she will be allowed to visit me?

The First Minister mentioned earlier the rapid spread of Covid in prisons. What guidance has been issued to lecturing staff on the return to face-to-face teaching in the Scottish Prison Service...

Last week, the Parliament asked the Government to urgently release the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development report into Scottish education, which is currently sitting on...

This month we heard that Scotch whisky exports had decreased by £1 billion in 2020, which was a drop of 23 per cent. That is due partly to the pandemic, but a significant part is due to the...

Good afternoon, everyone. I remind all members that social distancing measures are in place in the chamber and that masks should be worn on entering and leaving or when wandering about. The first...

1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce health inequalities. (S5O-05057)

2. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to measure and mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on child and adolescent mental health. (S5O-05058)

3. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Inverclyde health and social care partnership regarding either a replacement for, or...

4. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that older patients in hospital are receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. (S5O-05060)

5. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported increased demand for mental health services. (S5O-05061)

6. To ask the Scottish Government how many new staff will be required to meet the mental health needs of people following the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-05062)

7. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reduce the backlog of elective surgical procedures that have arisen in the NHS Grampian area due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (S5O-05063)

8. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of mental health services in rural areas. (S5O-05064)

The next item of businesses is a debate on motion S5M-24224, in the name of Kate Forbes, on the Budget (Scotland) (No 5) Bill at stage 1.

The next item of business is a debate on motion S5M-24225, in the name of Kate Forbes, on the Scottish income tax rate resolution. Members should note that the question on the motion will be put...

The next item of business is consideration of motion S5M-24223, in the name of Kate Forbes, on an appointment to the Scottish Fiscal Commission. Motion moved, That the Parliament agrees with the...

The next item is consideration of Parliamentary Bureau motion S5M-24236, on a stage 2 extension and suspension of standing orders. Motion moved, That the Parliament agrees that— (a)...

The first question is, that amendment S5M-24224.1, in the name of Murdo Fraser, which seeks to amend motion S5M-24224, in the name of Kate Forbes, on the Budget (Scotland) (No 5) Bill, be agreed...