If you're just joining us, here's a look back at today's questions to the first minister.

• Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused the first minister of being "addicted to secrecy", quoting the Auditor General's report on government spending on public services.
• Weeks ahead of Finance Secretary Shona Robison's budget, Audit Scotland said fundamental change was needed on public spending to ensure services meet demand and remain affordable.
• John Swinney defended government spending, with the government balancing the books every year for the last 17 years and on 4 December the budget is the "honest conversation" the government has with the people of Scotland.
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar probed the first minister on early prison release, claiming prisons are at "breaking point".
• Swinney defended the government's record on prisons, pointing out legislation to keep the prison estate and staff safe with increased investment this year.
• The first minister defended the government's track record on affordable housing and improvements in the NHS and claimed the challenge lies in finances with the UK Labour government "giving with one hand and taking away with the other".

• And finally Labour MSP Colin Smyth asks the first minister to widen access to Scotland's Redress Scheme, allowing survivors of abuse at Fornethy House in Angus to seek redress.

That's all from FMQs this week. Thanks for joining us. The editor was Catherine Lyst and the writers were Craig Hutchison and Ashleigh Keenan-Bryce.

Labour MSP Colin Smyth asks for the FM's response to calls to widen access to Scotland’s Redress Scheme to allow survivors of abuse at Fornethy House in Kilry, Angus, to seek redress.

John Swinney praises the courage of the survivors and explains the redress scheme was designed primarily for those vulnerable children who were in long-term care.

He says the deputy first minister met Fornethy House survivors to explain the eligibility criteria.

Smyth argues the state has "utterley failed" the survivors and he asks if the government will take responsibility and widen the redress scheme for "these brave survivors".

Swinney insists he did everything he could to widen the criteria of the scheme and make it as extensive and comprehensive as it could be.

"Fornethy House will be a case study in the next phase of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and there will be an opportunity for further exploration of the issues and the circumstances involved in these cases," he adds.

Image source, Google

Earlier this week a man died following a crash involving a lorry and three other vehicles in Highland Perthshire.

Emergency services were called to the scene on the A9 near Ballinluig at about 08:15, including the air ambulance and fire crews.

Two people were taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

The road remained closed for more than 10 hours before reopening at 18:47, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded in freezing conditions on diversions between 26 and 36 miles long.

Fergus Ewing highlights a crash on Tuesday where another person lost their life on the A9 with three more requiring hospitalisation.

He says the road safety foundation has produced evidence that people are three times more likely to lose their life on single track roads than dualled ones and 10 times more likely than on a motorway.

He adds: "That means people in the Highlands and the North of Scotland are 10 times - 10 times - to lose somebody to a road death than somebody in the central belt."

He asks the first minister if he will bring forward proposals for the swifter dualling of the A9 so fewer people die.

Swinney says the incident Ewing refers to took place in his own parliamentary constituency and he takes on board the urgency and seriousness of this issue.

He says the government has invested in dualling sections of the A9 already and the government will keep the programme under review to see if there is any way it can be done at a faster rate.

• Man dies after lorry and three vehicles crash on A9

Scottish Conservative MSP Jamie Greene asks the first minister his response to recent reports on road deaths and whether he believes this year could see the highest road accidents and fatalities on record.

The first minister says statistics for 2023 showed the number killed on Scotland’s rose fell - the fourth lowest annual figure and the second lowest recorded in a non-pandemic year.

He adds that the cabinet secretary for transport has highlighted the significant challenges in road safety this year and they remain a high priority for the Scottish government, with £36m invested this year aimed at improving driver behaviour.

Jamie Greene says there is a £2.5bn backlog of road repairs, not including improving accident hotspots like the A9.

He says 65% of accidents happen on rural roads and action is needed quickly. He asks if the Scottish government is still committed to dualling the roads promised in their manifesto and how many more lives will be needlessly lost before that happens.

Swinney says the government remains committed to its investment programme, with the transport secretary hosting a road safety summit in February to discuss all road safety measures.

·Police watchdog warning amid rise in road casualties

Ash Regan gets to her feet, saying the FM has accepted defeat on Scotland ever becoming an independent country.

Referring to Grangemouth the Alba MSP asks "how it has come to this where a nationalist government looks away, helpless as key national infrastructure is lost for ever".

The FM is unimpressed by this and he says he does not think Ash Regan has listened to a word he has said so far.

"I am actively pursuing an option to maintain the refining capacity at Grangemouth," he says.

Thomson says: "The UK government's inaction has a lot to answer for."

She asks Swinney to work on a pause to the closure and not accept the loss of Grangemouth without a clearer path to transition.

The first minister says the Scottish government believes the announcement of closure for the refinery is a "premature decision" and accelerates a change that does not need to happen at this stage.

Swinney says he supports a pause in the close of the refinery and has put this to the prime minister.

• Scotland's only oil refinery confirmed to close next year
• Swinney denies lack of action over Grangemouth closure
• Grangemouth owner turns down new buyout offer

Image source, PA Media

SNP MSP Michelle Thomson asks the first minister when the Scottish government last met representatives of Ineos or Petroineos to discuss the situation at Grangemouth.

The first minister says the government continues to engage with stakeholders regarding Grangemouth with the cabinet secretary meeting representatives on 5 November and government officials meeting staff from the business last week.

Thomson says trade union Unite gave evidence to the economy committee on Wednesday, saying the site is profitable but a distorted perspective is being shown by the accounts.

The union believes there is no sense in a site closure at Grangemouth and money spent to support a biorefinery will be wasted if the underlying skills base is wasted.

Polling shows the public back a public health levy and the Fraser of Allander Institute has said it could raise as much as £57m a year, argues Slater.

The Scottish Greens co-leader asks why the FM equivocates on this matter.

Swinney points out his government has higher taxes on larger retailers which is a source of great controversy.

He again says he can't disclose the details of the budget ahead of 4 December.

The first minister points out his government has taken significant action in relation to minimum pricing.

A public health supplement will be considered as part of the budget process, he adds.

It's now the turn of Lorna Slater to put her questions to the FM and she focuses on the impact of alcohol on the nation's health.

The Scottish Greens co-leader asks if the SNP still supports a public health levy and will it be included in the draft budget in two weeks' time.

Election arguments have started alreadypublished at 12:29 Greenwich Mean Time

12:29 GMT

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Even when they focus on different topics, there’s always a familiar thread to the arguments of the opposition leaders – it all sounds like an election debate.

Today, Russell Findlay asked about spending plans, and Anas Sarwar was talking about prisons.

But both stressed that the SNP has been in power for 17 years.

And both said that their track record over that time shows that they cannot be trusted to be in charge any longer.

John Swinney, as ever, hit back with facts and figures about what his party has done in power.

And he points to the action of the other parties in government at Westminster, accusing Labour of following the Tory example by delivering “austerity by the back door”.

These are the exact arguments which will be rehearsed on doorsteps around Scotland come April and May 2026.

From recent form it feels like we’re going to be hearing a lot more of them in the weeks and months before then.

The first minister says Sarwar has “skated by the evidence” listing government achievements on affordable housing and increases in activity in the NHS to tackle waiting lists.

Swinney says he has been open with parliament on at every FMQs on the fiscal challenges which are increasing with a Labour government “giving with one hand and taking away with the other”, labelling it austerity through the back door.

Sarwar says the first minister has “his head in the sand” and quotes the Auditor General’s report quoting: “The Scottish government is not providing effective leadership on reform and they are reacting to events rather than making fundamental changes”.

He says that after 17 years of an SNP government, “every institution is weaker”.

He asks the first minister why all the SNP have to offer is more excuses, more waste and “managed decline”.

The first minister says the Scottish government has increased investment by 10% in the prison services resource budget for this year alone.

On community justice, investment has been expanded by £14m to strengthen alternatives to custody and use of electronically monitored bail has been increased, he says.

Swinney adds that the government is taking the reform action required to address a situation faced by all jurisdictions post-pandemic.

Sarwar reiterates his earlier question to the first minister and says the SNP have been cleaning up their own mess from the last 17 years.

He says the emergency legislation is a “desperate attempt” to tackle the symptoms of a crisis created by the SNP.

Sarwar adds: “On John Swinney’s watch, we have Scotland’s prisons at breaking point, our prison estate crumbling, soaring levels of remand, deep cuts to legal aid, a staffing crisis in our courts and huge court backlogs.”

He asks the first minister why he thinks the answer is to give more power to the SNP government after 17 years of failing to address the problems in the criminal justice system.

The first minister says the Scottish government is dealing with a situation seen in many places across the world in handling a sharp increase in prisoner population following the pandemic.

Swinney says the government has brought forward legislation to deal with the backlog to ensure Scottish prisons are safe for those who work in them and safe in the public interest.

Angus Cochrane
BBC Scotland News

Image source, PA Media

With Scotland's prison population approaching "crisis" point, the Scottish government has tabled plans to let more prisoners out early.

The Scottish Conservatives say victims are being "betrayed".

Their leader, Russell Findlay, has also suggested that SNP ministers could free up space by doing more to remove foreign nationals from jails.

The Scottish government says that is a matter for the UK government - although it is "actively engaging" with Sir Keir Starmer's government on the issue.

Read more here.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar begins his question to the first minister discussing early prisoner release.

Sarwar says the UK government is being forced to clean up 14 years of mess left by the Tory’s in England and Wales and asks the first minister who’s mess he is cleaning up.

"Dearie me, it's not my party that's under investigation for financial fraud and this week sacking half its staff for goodness sake," says Findlay.

He argues that SNP ministers casually waste public money and John Swinney cannot be trusted with public finances.

The first minister hits back, saying Findlay is calling for a £1bn tax cut, but only details £53.74m.

"So there's a £950m gaping hole in Mr Findlay's arguments to me this week," he says.