FMQs has drawn to a close. here are the key lines that emerged this week:

• Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay pressed John Swinney on the Scottish government's £1.2bn welfare "black hole".
• The first minister insisted he is "proud" of Scotland's welfare system that supports the most vulnerable people in the country.
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar raises the issue of bus and ferry building and calls for a "coherent industrial strategy"
• Swinney says progress is being made on improving manufacturing opportunities in Scotland.
• Alex Cole-Hamilton accused Swinney of not listening to islanders over a ferry compensation scheme.
• The first minister confirmed he spoke to Donald Trump at Windsor to continue making the case for a "zero for zero" deal for the Scotch whisky industry.

That's all from the live page team this week, thank you for joining us. Mary McCool was today's editor. Rachel Grant and Megan Bonar were the writers.

Jackson Carlaw MSP asks Swinney if there is any indication that “warm personal emerging relationship” with Donald Trump will lead to lower whisky tariffs.

The tory MSP says the “emerging” relationship “fair gladdens all our hearts” and he jokes that he can “feel the hearts of the Scottish Greens melting”.

Swinney says the fact Donald Trump is willing to engage is positive and he hopes he will be persuaded by his arguments.

“All I can ask for it to get a fair hearing,” he says.

Image source, Reuters

Answering a question on US tariffs from Stirling MSP Evelyn Tweed, Swinney says he spoke to Donald Trump for about 50 minutes in Washington last week and had a further discussion with the president at the state event at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

He says he was making representations on behalf of the industry, not negotiating a trade deal.

Swinney adds that the distilling industry bodies on both sides of the Atlantic are seeking a "zero for zero" arrangement on tariffs and he would continue to engage to achieve this.

Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher asks when the housing emergency will end.

She says the “government has had 18 years to get a grip on the worsening housing shortage”.

It comes as figures released by the Scottish government showed that the number of homeless people in temporary accommodation had reached a record high.

Swinney says the SNP has a “strong record” of building affordable homes.

“That’s because we are prepared to take action,” he says. The comment is met with jeers from the chamber.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman asks what action is being taken to protect renters in the private sector from homelessness.

She describes a family of four from Inverness who were given three months' notice of eviction and moved into a one-bedroom flat when they unable find an appropriate home in that time.

She asks if the housing bill next week will improve protections from eviction.

Swinney replies that the government will look at all policy proposals but asks her to consider the "substantial protection" for renters already available in Scotland.

Murdo Fraser MSP, from the Scottish Conservatives, asks how the government plans to support towns and city centres as retail destinations.

He says all colleagues will be aware of the “decline” of town centres, and points to recently published plans from the Scottish Retail Consortium on how the government could make towns more attractive for retailers to invest in – including more competitive business rates.

Fraser says in last three years, the Scottish government has not passed on the “much more generous” rates relief available in England.

The first minister says economic growth is at the heart of the government agenda, adding the government has provided the “most generous” business rates scheme in the UK and invested £3m into tackling retail crime.

A twist in the story on Scottish manufacturingpublished at 12:45 BST 18 September

12:45 BST 18 September

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Anas Sarwar makes the same broad argument every week - that the SNP is letting down services.

His charge this week was essentially that the government’s support for workers is superficial - that they are willing to prop up manufacturing firms, but not to send contracts their way.

He pointed to buses built in China and ferries built in Turkey, despite public funds being poured into Alexander Dennis and Ferguson Marine.

This was a bit of a twist on a story that John Swinney has been happy to highlight this week, with his government committing to a furlough scheme for Alexander Dennis.

Interestingly he also said ministers are actively considering a direct award of a ferry award to Ferguson Marine - and significantly that it has taken legal advice on that front.

But as ever this turned nakedly into an election pitch in the final question, with Sarwar declaring what he would do as first minister.

His problem is that his story of governmental failure is rather easily thrown back in his face right now, with Swinney pivoting as usual to attack what he called the “shambles” unfolding at Westminster.

Gordon MacDonald, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, asks about the impact on households in Scotland of a forecast 5.7% increase in food and drink prices by December.

He says this is caused rising National Insurance and energy costs for businesses and asks what the government is doing to help people with the cost of living.

Swinney outlines the interventions made by the Scottish government, including the Scottish Child Payment, free bus travel and childcare support.

He adds that the UK government is creating more challenges for families and the Scottish government.

Cole-Hamilton responds by saying the government “clearly” isn’t listening to islanders.

He says many islands not eligible for compensation have had timetables changed or stripped back.

The first minister says islands such as Arran have retained a two-ferry service, and compensation is offered on routes where the service has not been “satisfactory”.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Alex Cole-Hamilton is next, he asks why some islanders are excluded from a ferry service compensation scheme.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat leader calls the “ferry fiasco” a “national embarrassment” - referring to ongoing problems with Scotland's ferry fleet following years of controversy over two vessels built at the Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow, which do not fit the Arran harbour.

He says his party has been calling for compensation for islanders for many years - but questions why some islands have been left out.

Swinney the level of disruption felt on some islands such as Mull and Iona is not “comparable” to that experienced by others.

Sarwar points out that under the SNP there have been buses built in China and ferries built in Turkey and Poland, and calls for a "more coherent industrial strategy".

He says a government led by him would build Scotland's crucial infrastructure "right here in Scotland".

Swinney retorts that the last Labour Scottish government sent contracts to Poland and urged the Scottish Labour leader to "check up on his history".

Regarding ferry building, Sarwar asks what legal advice Swinney has sought on the direct award of contracts for government-owned shipyard Ferguson Marine.

Swinney replies that the government is "doing the detailed work" to enable a potential direct award to build a successor to the MV Lord of the Isles.

He assures Sarwar that they are strongly engaged in exploring that as a possibility, but he cannot disclose the legal advice available.

"We are seeing more progress being made on manufacturing opportunities within Scotland," he says. "I welcome that."

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar welcomes government intervention to keep bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis' Scottish sites open.

He asks what guarantees there are that jobs will remain in Scotland and that this will lead to Scotland's buses being built in Scotland.

The first minister says the support can only be accessed if there is success in securing orders, but there is growing confidence that satisfactory contracts will be secured.

John Swinney comfortable defending against belt-tightening demandspublished at 12:21 BST 18 September

12:21 BST 18 September

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The figures cited by Russell Findlay are not particularly new; the Scottish Fiscal Commission has been flagging the looming deficit in social security spending for some time.

But the Auditor General’s report - about the lack of a plan to fill that gap going forward - gave the Tory leader a fresh opportunity to get into the topic.

What this boils down to is a fundamental ideological difference between these parties.

The SNP is happy to maintain a more generous social security system, and to pay the fast-mounting costs with tax rises and cuts to other parts of the budget.

That is not necessarily an easy choice, given it is accounting for an increasingly large chunk of Holyrood’s spending.

But it is one John Swinney is very comfortable defending against Conservative calls for belt-tightening, accusing opponents of wanting to take people’s benefits away.

He views the welfare bill as an investment in the people of Scotland.

That’s where we see the other fundamental difference, because the Conservatives also say they’re concerned for the people of Scotland - and their tax bills, which are supporting what the party says is an “unsustainable” system.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Findlay goes on to ask Swinney how much benefit fraud is taking place in Scotland - as he says Social Security Scotland does not have a reliable figure for the money lost to fraud and error.

He says the SNP’s approach is “a betrayal of those in genuine need and of taxpayers”.

The first minister responds that his government is “proud” to have a system in place that delivers support to 350,000 vulnerable people.

He says it is not good enough for the Tories to criticise social security without bringing proposals to the table, and accuses them of behaving like their UK counterparts who he says "harass vulnerable people in society".

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Findlay says the benefits system “has to be fair and it has to be affordable,” and at the moment claimants are taken at “face value”.

As he brandishes a benefits form, he points out that all a claimant needs to do is say their needs have not changed. He says “vital checks” need to be introduced to reduced fraudulent claims.

The first minister says welfare is offered to some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Swinney questions the “undertones” of Findlay’s question and asks “whose benefits does he want to take away?”

Russell Findlay says the government is spending more on welfare benefits that they have budgeted for.

“Will John Swinney tell us what his plan is or if he even has one?” he asks.

The first minister responds by saying the government has balanced its budget on “every single occasion”.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay begins by asking the first minister about social security spending.

He says the auditor general has revealed a £1.2bn black hole in social security spending, saying the Scottish government's "benefits black hole" is going to get even bigger.

Questions to the first minister will begin very shortly now that John Swinney has taken his position in the chamber.

First to ask a question is Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay.

It's been a busy week in Scottish politics.

As we've mentioned, John Swinney has been in Washington DC and in London, hoping to persuade US President Donald Trump to remove import taxes on Scotch whisky.

Plans to scrap Scotland's controversial not proven verdict have been approved by MSPs.

Audit Scotland has said the Scottish government has no plan to fill a £770m funding gap in its disability benefits, much of which is accounted for the adult disability payment (ADP) which now replaces the personal independence payment (Pip) in Scotland.

Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis announced it would keep its Scottish sites open after the Scottish government pledged £4m towards a furlough scheme.

And the first of 20 critically ill children and their families have arrived in Scotland from Gaza for treatment.