Summary

  • John Swinney was quizzed on his government's record in skills training for young people

  • The first minister defended the NHS in Scotland and accused Labour of continuing "austerity" in government

  • Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the issue of people racing high-performance cars and motorbikes in residential areas

  • The Conservatives accused ministers of not caring about rural Scotland after another landslip at the Rest and Be Thankful

Live Reporting

Edited by Craig Williams

  1. Analysis

    Will First Minister's Questions look back or look forward?

    Philip Sim
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    Holyrood has been quite focused on the past this week, with debates marking the 10th anniversary of the 2014 independence referendum.

    Will today’s exchanges pivot back to more contemporary matters?

    The Conservatives do love a debate about the constitution but there are other topics kicking around.

    They have been quick to highlight a review – from the tail end of last week – into rape crisis services in Edinburgh.

    The party has also been keen to continue to capitalise on the defeats it inflicted on the government last week, on free school meals and peak rail fares. Douglas Ross has been pushing for ministers to “respect the will of parliament”.

    Labour meanwhile made their feelings quite clear in Wednesday’s independence debate that they would rather be debating just about anything else.

    They want to focus on the SNP’s record in government, as part of their bid to oust them in 2026 – so you can expect Anas Sarwar to paint any pivot towards constitutional matters as a distraction from the day job at Holyrood.

  2. Background: 10th anniversary of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum

    'No shortcut to independence' - Swinney

    The Scottish independence referendum left an "overwhelmingly positive legacy" on the country, First Minister John Swinney has said.

    The SNP leader, speaking at an event in Edinburgh to mark the 10th anniversary of the 2014 vote, claimed Scotland was now closer to separating from the UK.

    He also praised "gracious" leaders of the No campaign for their "understanding" in the aftermath of the result.

    Opposition leaders have urged the SNP to move on from the "division" of the independence debate.

    Read more here.

  3. What can we expect from FMQs this week?

    This week saw the 10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum and there may well be reference to this in FMQs.

    John Swinney has said the referendum left an "overwhelmingly positive legacy" on the country but opposition party leaders may well disagree.

    Other issues likely to feature are the future of Grangemouth and the Commonwealth Games coming to Glasgow.

    And the health service will almost certainly feature after the BMA in Scotland described it as being in 'permanent crisis'.

    It's not long now until we find out.

  4. Welcome

    First Minister John SwinneyPA

    First Minister John Swinney will field questions from MSPs from 12:00.

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of first minister's questions.

    As ever, we'll bring you reports and analysis throughout the weekly political joust.

    You can watch the proceedings live here with us, just press the play icon at the top of the page from 12:00.