Here's a recap of the headlines from today's First Minister's Questions:

• The new Scottish Conservative leader, Russell Findlay, made his FMQ's debut, quizzing John Swinney on the SNP government’s plans for a National Care Service.
• Findlay said almost 2,000 people are trapped in hospitals across Scotland.
• Swinney said he was concerned about rising delayed discharge figures but that hospitals have been facing increased demand since the pandemic.
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar accused the government of "spectacularly failing" to tackle delayed discharge figures.
• The Scottish Greens' Patrick Harvie called on the government to support de-escalation in the Middle East.
• Scottish Labour's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy challenged the FM on what steps are being taken to protect the jobs of teachers and reduce the attainment gap among pupils from poorer backgrounds.
• Swinney was also pushed on a "fair pay deal" for police officers by Tory MSP Pam Gosal.

Today's editor was Paul McLaren. The writers were Katy Scott and Megan Bonar.

That concludes our coverage for today. Thank you for joining us and have a good afternoon.

Man of the match performance? Not quite, but Findlay was solid enoughpublished at 13:01 British Summer Time 3 October

13:01 BST 3 October

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Russell Findlay has now had his first outing as the leader of the Scottish Conservatives at FMQs.

The new party leader is a football fan, so perhaps a football analogy is appropriate?

It was a solid enough performance. No unforced errors, a few decent moments, but it didn’t feel like he managed to score any goals. All things considered, I’d imagine he’ll be happy enough with how it went.

What was notable is that he steered clear of justice issues and chose to quiz the first minister on social care. Perhaps he’s trying to move away from the topics he’s best known for, and prove he’s more of a utility player?

There were a few references to “common sense” politics – a theme that he wants to continually stress in his leadership.

Pam Gosal for the Scottish Tories asks the first minister about police officers feeling undervalued and overworked.

She says years of cuts have made life difficult for those in the force and she asks Swinney if he will commit to a fair pay deal in line with other public sector workers.

Swinney says he recognises the essential contributions made by police officers, and that pay claims have been submitted for both police officers and police staff which will "progress through the relevant processes".

He says Scottish police officers have consistently been the best paid in the UK at the minimum and maximum of each rank.

Scottish Conservative MSP Oliver Mundell asks about funding for dyslexia testing.

He says a recent report highlighted 80% of adults were prevented from being assessed for the condition due to costs. The MSP asks the first minister to consider providing government funding for the tests.

Swinney says he will meet with Dyslexia Scotland to discuss what action the government can take.

Scottish Labour's education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy challenges the first minister on protecting teacher numbers to raise educational attainment and narrow the poverty attainment gap.

The Glasgow MSP says about 450 teachers in Glasgow are set to lose their jobs and new teachers are struggling to find work. She asks when teachers will have the stability they deserve.

The first minister says the Scottish government is providing councils with £145.5m to protect teacher numbers and local authorities should accept the money.

He says he is pleased teachers have accepted the most recent pay offer from the Scottish government.

Brian Whittle says many people “caught in excessive drinking” are “self-medicating”.

He says efforts to prevent addiction through the use of community groups are often successful. Whittle asks the first minister if third sector cuts make preventing alcohol addiction more difficult.

Swinney says the minimum pricing for alcohol policy has saved hundreds of lives and likely averted many hospital admissions. He adds that £112m in funding has been granted to alcohol and drug services.

Next up is Conservative MSP Brian Whittle MSP, who asks the first minister what steps are being taken to tackle Scotland’s alcohol crisis.

It comes as figures released earlier this month showed 1,277 people died from conditions caused by alcohol in 2023.

There has been an upward trend in the number of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland since 2012, with the number of deaths reaching their highest level in 15 years between this year and last.

This week the minimum price for alcohol increased to 65p per unit in an attempt to tackle the issue.

This means a typical 12.5% bottle of wine cannot be sold for less than £6.09 and a can of lager will be at least £1.30.

Patrick Harvie, the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, is up next with a question on the ongoing violence in the Middle East.

He says the world faces an “imminent threat of full-scale regional war” and asks the first minister for his response to the crisis and if he will join the Greens in calling for de-escalation.

Swinney says he shares Harvie’s concern for the Middle East and he has called for a ceasefire, for the Israeli hostages to be returned and for Palestinians to live in safety in their own sovereign independent nation.

Harvie also urges the Scottish government to ban companies who "profit from atrocities" from receiving grants.

Swinney reiterates his stance on calling for a ceasefire.

But he says the Scottish government has to have a legal basis for saying why they will not provide a grant to a company and he will keep this under review.

We're no clearer on where the National Care Service is goingpublished at 12:28 British Summer Time 3 October

12:28 BST 3 October

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

I’m not sure we learned very much new in the exchanges over the future of the National Care Service.

But perhaps deadlock is fitting for this topic, because it’s not at all clear where the plans go from here.

Council leaders have joined key unions and opposition parties in turning against the government’s proposals, which are currently being considered at Holyrood.

Given councils are crucial in delivering care on the ground, how can any system operate without their support?

The health secretary Neil Gray has suggested he could work with individual councils – but a patchwork approach by definition doesn’t help to level the playing field.

And it doesn’t reflect the fact that even SNP-led councils have registered real concerns about the legislation currently on the table.

Some health boards and social care partnerships have pushed back too, as have some third sector groups.

All of this comes at a time when ministers are incredibly short on cash, and on political capital too.

The government is looking increasingly isolated – and it remains unclear how they can build the bridges needed to actually deliver the National Care Service.

Image source, getty

Sarwar says his party welcomed the SNP’s plans for a national care service, but adds the plans have turned out to be “a national care service in name only”.

The £2.2bn cost of the service should be spent on funding care packages, additional workers and better working conditions, says the Scottish Labour leader.

Swinney says that is “exactly what the government is doing”.

He says social care expenditure has gone up so that are workers are paid more and more are employed.

Anas Sarwar begins by also asking about delayed discharged figures.

The Scottish Labour leader says on average 2,000 patients were “needlessly stuck in hospitals” across Scotland last month, which he says is the highest number on record.

Sarwar says the SNP promised the “eradicate” the practise nearly a decade ago and accuses the SNP of “spectacularly” failing to tackle this crisis.

The first minister says there has been a “significant increase in demand” on the health service since the pandemic, and says the government is delivering on its promise to increase social care spending by 25%.

Findlay says the SNP is wasting time and money and neglecting "what people really need" while "grabbing power" from local communities.

He says the service will cost billions just to set up and asks how this will help anyone.

Swinney says there is significant pressure being applied to improve delayed discharge in local authority areas where it is poor. He says some areas are improving but not nearly fast enough.

Findlay says the situation sums up politics in Scotland "like the ferries that don't carry passengers and prisons that free criminals early".

"This government needs a reality check," he adds.

Swinney says the Scottish government has taken hard decisions to invest in its public services despite the UK budget.

Findlay urges the first minister for answers and says one in five care homes have closed over the past decades and almost 2,000 people are "trapped in hospitals".

He says people need action today and asks Swinney why he can't see the the national care service project is "doomed to fail".

Swinney says he is concerned about the levels of delayed discharge and supports a national care service for the reasons Findlay has laid out.

The first minister says the number of delayed discharges varies massively between local authority areas and a national care service would address these imbalances.

New Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay focuses his first question as the new Scottish Tory leader on the SNP’s plans for a National Care Service.

He says it has already wasted £28m of taxpayer money and NHS bosses have serious concerns.

He asks the first minister why he is pushing ahead with a plan that "nobody seems to want".

Swinney welcomes Findlay to his new post before defending the scheme.

He says that a review led by former NHS Scotland boss Derek Feeley found that there was a need for a National Care Service due to the varying quality of social care nationwide.

Russell Findlay is on his feet and delivers his first FMQs question as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.

His first subject? The Scottish government's National Care Service plans.

Image source, Getty Images

As we've been saying, there could perhaps be a different tone when the Scottish Tory leader asks today's first question.

Newly-elected leader Russell Findlay has, after all, said his party will change in order to "win back public trust".

The former journalist comfortably defeated his Scottish Parliament colleagues Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher in a ballot of party members.

The contest followed the resignation of Douglas Ross.

Findlay said he would seek to represent those who are "scunnered" with the "fringe obsessions of the Scottish Parliament" and feel that politicians do not understand the concerns of ordinary voters.

How will that translate into how Findlay takes on John Swinney at First Minister's Questions?

It all gets under way at 12:00, so stick with us here to find out.

Image source, Getty Images

From mixing with the King and Queen at a ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scottish Parliament, to clashing over Scotland's housing emergency, it's been an eventful week for Scotland's MSPs.

We've also hadthe minimum price at which alcohol can be sold in Scotland rising by 30%.

And there has been the release of new data which showed more than one in 10 of the prisoners let out of Scotland's jails early in a bid to ease overcrowding were back in prison before their original release date.

So there will be plenty for John Swinney and his opponents to get their teeth into at FMQs.

How will Findlay kick off his FMQs debut?published at 11:42 British Summer Time 3 October

11:42 BST 3 October

David Wallace Lockhart
Political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Another Thursday, another First Minister’s Questions. But there will be a slight difference this week.

The former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross is off to the backbenches, and the party’s new leader Russell Findlay will have his first outing in the FMQs spotlight. He gets to kick off proceedings at midday.

Right now he’ll be throwing about ideas with his advisers in an effort to decide what issue (or issues) to quiz John Swinney on.

Russell Findlay’s always had a key interest in justice stories, so he may well be tempted by yesterday’s revelation that one in 10 prisoners released under the Scottish Government’s early release scheme are back in prison.

But then again, he may try and surprise the first minister by opting for a completely different topic.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of this week's session of First Minister's Questions.

John Swinney will face his usual grilling from opposition leaders and party backbenchers - with one major difference.

Russell Findlay will be taking part in his first FMQs as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.

Stick with us for full coverage and analysis and you can also follow events from Holyrood by clicking the Watch Live icon at the top of this page when things kick off at 12:00.