The Scottish Conservative leader says the Programme for Government was the first minister's "big moment" to "boldly launch" his premiership as first minister.

"Has he really been waiting 25 years to deliver that speech we just listened to?" Ross says.

"Because what we got was a programme of tired old promises that should have been delivered years ago."

Ross says the first minister is making it impossible for his government to fail by "promising nothing".

Douglas Ross says the SNP has lost control of the budget here in Scotland.

The Scottish Tory leader argues it is decisions made by the Scottish government that have led to "the huge black hole in the Scottish budget".

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes intervenes to a ask Ross to point to one year in 17 when the Scottish government has failed to balance its budget.

Ross insists the Scottish government is pulling in hundreds of millions of pounds from the ScotWind budget because it overspent its budget.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Douglas Ross kicks off the debate after the first minister brings his 30-minute speech to a close.

He says the Scottish Parliament has “lessons to learn” from the report into the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the recommendations it has made.

Ross says the SNP government is replicating decisions taken by the Labour government in Westminster to “strip pensioners of their winter fuel payments”.

He describes it as a “shameful decision” and says the SNP “only have themselves to blame for the mess they find themselves in”.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Given the economic and political context, this speech seems to be all about the art of the possible for John Swinney.

There has been precious little mention of new legislation - only a handful of new bills have been named, although more may be announced in due course.

Instead Mr Swinney looks to be aiming to focus the work of government in sharply on his priorities, like child poverty.

There has been a lot of talk of making existing services join up and work more efficiently together - like bringing together childcare, family support and advice on careers and benefits into one cohesive safety net.

There has also been talk of public service reforms, with the health services as an example - again a case of making existing systems work better, rather than splashing the cash on big changes.

The first minister tells the chamber Scotland faces challenges, but if it is properly focused and motivated, he's optimistic they can be overcome.

Swinney says he believes Scotland can eradicate child poverty, build prosperity, improve Scotland's public services and play its part in protecting the planet.

Swinney says he wants to put “trust” back at the heart of Scottish politics.

That means changes to the ministerial code, with independent advisers now able to launch investigations into breaches of the charter by MSPs rather than just the first minister.

They will then be able to advise Swinney on appropriate sanctions for those found to have contravened the code.

Swinney says: “I want my government to set the highest standard of propriety and integrity.”

Swinney says the review of the New Build Heat Standard will be concluded and a Heat in Buildings Bill will be brought forward.

He says the work of Home Energy Scotland and the support available through the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme the government will encourage energy efficiency and enable families to stay warm.

He says the Heat in Buildings Bill must provide practical assistance to households and businesses to support energy efficiency and to improve the quality of heating systems.

"We will also set a clear timetable for the delivery of roughly 24,000 additional electric vehicle charge points by 2030," he adds.

Image source, PA

The first minister says the Scottish government will shortly publish the Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.

He says the government will act to speed up the planning and consenting process for renewable energy generation, providing "certainty to the market and stimulate private investment".

Swinney says £9m will be invested in supporting Scotland's manufacturing industries to invest in energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects.

The Scottish government will work alongside the UK government, Swinney says, to deliver the infrastructure required for a net zero energy system to support the Acorn Carbon transport and storage project, securing a positive future for Grangemouth.

He says: "We need to take forward careful stewardship of our oil and gas sector to ensure a sector that contributes significantly to the economic health of Scotland at this moment is able to make the transition effectively to net zero."

Swinney says 10 of Scotland hottest years have come over the past two decades and points to “increased frequency of storms and floods” and their impact on local communities as evidence of the country’s changing climate.

He says they will work with Scottish Water to improve the “resilience” of the country’s sewage and water systems.

Meanwhile, 10,000 hectares of degraded peatland will be restored, with 10,000 hectares of new woodland created.

Swinney says a National Environment Bill alongside new climate change legislation to allow “carbon budgets” of five years will be introduced in an effort to reach net zero by 2045.

The first minister turns his attention to the environment and climate change.

Swinney insists Scotland must "address the greatest existential threat of our times".

He says action to tackle climate change and biodiversity is essential.

"It is absolutely essential that we protect our planet by reducing emissions, restoring our natural environment and investing in adaptations that will protect us from the impacts of climate change."

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says he will support the culture and creative sector, saying there is a need for the artistic community to be well supported in the future.

He says a review of Creative Scotland will be undertaken to ensure the "appropriate approach" is in place to meet the needs of the sector.

This follows warnings from artists and musicians that Scotland is facing a "cultural catastrophe" after Creative Scotland closed a major arts fund indefinitely.

Swinney also confirms that the resources needed to help Creative Scotland continue its Open Fund are now available.

Swinney outlines the government's plans for strengthening the NHS for "today and for years to come".

He says the government will achieve this by increasing baseline funding to reduce waiting lists, providing 20,000 more orthopaedic, ophthalmology and general surgery procedures and 210,000 more planned care outpatient appointments to "eliminate unnecessary hospital attendances".

The first minister says he will reform primary care, increase capacity and access to GPs, community pharmacy, dental and community eyecare by 2026.

He says an additional £120m will be provided to each health board to support improvements in mental health services and treatments, including meeting the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times and clearing backlogs by December 2025.

Swinney says long-running work to dual the A9 between Tomatin and Moy will begin before the end of the year, while a procurement process for the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig stretch has already begun.

He says three of six new “major ferries” under construction for CalMac – including the Glen Rosa and Glen Sannox – will be delivered, while the government is looking to secure seven new electric ferries as part of its Small Vessel Programme.

On the railways, plans to upgrade power supplies to broaden the electrification of the lines will move forward with new investment.

ScotRail announced it planned to replace ageing high speed trains used on routes between Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow earlier this week.

The first minister pledges to remove barriers to employment.

This includes leading a new, national approach to skills planning and introducing the Post-School Education Reform Bill to simplify the post-school funding body landscape.

Swinney says specialist support for disabled people will be enhanced across all local authorities by summer 2025.

"We will expand Scotland’s migration service and continue to make the case for tailored migration routes – including a rural visa pilot to support rural employers to recruit the people they need."

Image source, Getty Images

Swinney says he wants to make sure Scotland remains a premier location for businesses to invest in.

He says this will be achieved through the development of two green freeports and establishing two new investment zones.

The first minister says the government's commitment of up to £500m of investment aims to generate at least £1.5bn in private investment to support the offshore wind sector.

Swinney says this year, the Scottish government will maximise the impact of the Techscaler , externalprogramme for supporting tech start ups to make Scotland "attractive to investors" and working to become "a start-up and scale-up nation".

The first minister says the government will consider the findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to ensure people “have a safe and secure place to call their home”.

He says the Scottish government will invest nearly £600m in affordable housing, including £40m to bring existing into affordable use and a further £100m to build about 2,800 mid-market rent homes.

That includes bringing homes not in use back into available housing, he says.

For tenants, amendments at stage two of the Housing Bill will progress plans for rent controls and ensure renters have the protections that they need, Swinney adds.

Image source, Getty Images

John Swinney says his government will invest nearly £1bn a year in affordable, high-quality and funded early learning and childcare.

The first minister commits to supporting early development and reducing developmental concerns at 27-30 months by a quarter by 2030.

He says: "We will support schools to reduce the poverty-related attainment gap across every local authority each year between now and 2026.

"And we will ensure that, when young people are ready to enter the workplace, they have the learning, skills and opportunities to succeed."

Tackling child poverty could be expensivepublished at 15:11 British Summer Time 4 September

15:11 BST 4 September

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

John Swinney’s statement today has to be seen in the context of the cuts announced by his finance secretary Shona Robison yesterday.

It is true that Mr Swinney is looking to the year ahead at Holyrood, while Ms Robison was seeking to patch up the current year’s budget.

But £800m being added to the public sector pay bill is going to have a huge impact in future budgets too.

For context, the entire Scottish Fire and Rescue Service costs just under £400m – so even if you were to eliminate it and have people put out their own fires, it wouldn’t go halfway to bridging the pay gap.

And the measures needed to achieve Mr Swinney’s core goal, of eliminating child poverty, could be very expensive indeed.

The Scottish Child Payment cost £457m this year, and while it has been widely praised for keeping kids above the breadline, the overall child poverty total is stubbornly unchanged.

Further measures will be needed just to get close to this year’s interim target, never mind Mr Swinney’s overall ambition.

The first minister says "we must do more" to address child poverty - and says his goal is to lift every child, not just some, out of poverty.

He says a system of "whole family support" must be available across the whole of the country.

"We must ensure this system is easy to access, well connected and responsive to families needs," he says.

Swinney adds the coming year will see the Scottish government come together with partners in local government and the public sector to bring tailored support to the families who need it.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Swinney says Holyrood is facing “some of its toughest tests” in its 25-year history, citing the previous 14 years of Conservative leadership at Westminster and “sky-high” inflation.

He sets out four priorities within his Programme for Government; eradicating child poverty, building prosperity, improving public services, and protecting the planet.

Swinney says child poverty is first and foremost in those priorities, adding “no child should have their opportunities, development, health and wellbeing and future curtailed by the material wealth of their family”.

He says it is “not only the moral compass of his government” but “the greatest investment in [our] country’s future it can possibly make”.