That concludes a feisty FMQs which was dominated by the contentious gender row. Here are the key lines that emerged this lunchtime:

• Russell Findlay challenged the first minister on same-sex spaces following the NHS Fife employment tribunal
• The Scottish Tory leader said: "women's spaces must be for women and girls"
• The first minister said he cannot legally comment on the employment tribunal and accused Findlay of "sowing division"
• Anas Sarwar returned to the familiar ground of the NHS waiting lists but asked when the government would stop focusing on disciplining a nurse and start focussing on supporting staff and clearing backlogs
• The Scottish Labour leader argued the public was sick of there being no GP appointments
• The FM reiterated that there would be an increase in resources for GPs to the tune of £13.6m if his budget is passed
• Lorna Slater raised the claims by US vice president JD Vance about buffer zones in Scotland
• The Scottish Greens co-leader called on the FM would to ask PM Sir Keir Starmer to demand an apology
• This led to heated exchanges between Swinney and Labour MSP Jackie Baillie with the FM insisting he was about "speaking truth to parliament"

That concludes our live coverage of FMQs this week. The editor was Paul McLaren. Megan Bonar and Craig Hutchison were the writers. Thank you for joining us.

SNP MSP Emma Harper asks about plans to give whisky produced in England protected geographical status.

She says the UK government are consulting on the move and if approved it would “trample on” the reputation and tradition of the Scottish whisky industry.

She adds the single-malt brand could be tainted by inferior products.

Swinney says the government will do what it can to protect the identity and character of Scotch.

Scottish Conservative MSP Edward Mountain asks about the closure of the Cairngorm funicular.

The railway which travels up the Cairngorms mountains has been closed to the public for over four years due to structural issues, despite £25m being spent on repairs.

Mountain calls for Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to be removed from managing the repairs and calls for an inquiry into the delays.

The FM says it is a “very difficult project” in “challenging conditions”. He adds he has no intention of removing HIE and insists he has full confidence in the agency.

Tory MSP Pam Gosal returns to the gender row and asks for an update on the Scottish government’s plans to update the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967.

The FM replies they describe the broad minimum standards that schools must meet and he adds it's his government's intention to modernise the regulations.

Gosal tells the chamber too many times we've heard the SNP dismiss concerns about the safety of women and girls.

She asks if the FM regrets supporting "Nicola Sturgeon's reckless self-ID law" and does he agree single-sex facilities should be a basic right for schools.

Swinney says the regulations raised by Gosal were last updated in 1979 which need to be reviewed.

He adds that local authorities are responsible for the design of schools.

To the backbenches...

SNP MSP Clare Adamson asks about the government’s response to a survey on UK business confidence, and the impact that could have on the third sector.

The survey of employers across the UK found a third of businesses are scaling back plans to increase workforces and expand.

The first minister says the report show “just how damaging” the UK government’s decision to increase employers national insurance contributions will be.

He says: “It is effectively a tax on jobs”.

Now a follow-up question from Lorna Slater

"Friendly countries do not tell lies about each other, " says Slater.

The Scottish Greens co-leader asks if the FM will ask Keir Starmer to seek an apology from the White House.

Disinformation is harming political discourse says Swinney.

"Speaking truth to parliament, that's what I'm about," he adds in response to an accusation from Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie, accusing her of disgraceful behaviour.

Swinney happy to back Greens on Trump and Vance commentspublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February

12:41 GMT 20 February

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The Scottish Greens frequently bring up Donald Trump at Holyrood, and it was no surprise that they did so this week after the president’s deputy had a go at legislation passed by a Green MSP.

Lorna Slater wanted the first minister to condemn JD Vance’s “misinformation” about the buffer zones bill passed last year, and Mr Swinney was happy to do so.

Indeed he thanked Ms Slater for giving him the opportunity to underline that the law has done nothing to outlaw private prayer at home.

But it was notable that he ducked the Green co-leader’s call for him to urge Sir Keir Starmer to seek an apology from the president.

For all that he frequently has a go at the Labour administration on domestic matters, Mr Swinney knows they are broadly on the same side on the international stage - and indeed he instead welcomed the prime minister’s engagement with European leaders about the war in Ukraine.

It's now the turn of Lorna Slater to put her questions to the first minister, and she begins by accusing US vice president JD Vance of spreading misinformation about buffer zones law made in the Scottish Parliament.

The Scottish Greens co-leader says the comments from Vance are grossly misleading and have emboldened anti-choice groups to target patients outside the QEUH in Glasgow.

"What is the first minister doing to correct false claims?"

The FM says he won't comment on live legal issues, but the remarks made by the vice president about the Safe Access Zones legislation in Scotland were untrue

Sarwar on home turf with health service challengespublished at 12:36 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February

12:36 GMT 20 February

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Anas Sarwar got in a dig about the Fife tribunal by claiming it’s a distraction for the SNP.

John Swinney sent one back in return by accusing the Labour leader of flip-flopping - a reference to his recent comments about his party’s regret about backing gender reform legislation.

But the core arguments between the two, as ever, were squarely about the health services.

The Labour leader made a speech about ending the “8am rush” for a GP’s appointment yesterday.

He is seeking to put the NHS at the heart of his election platform for 2026.

John Swinney typically had some statistics to back up his arguments about his government’s management of services.

But the main blow he seeks to land on Anas Sarwar again and again is about Labour’s performance since coming into government at Westminster.

He hopes that the charge of saying one thing before the election and delivering something else after it will be a potent one when voters head back to the polls next year.

Image source, scottish parliament

Sarwar says the first minister can’t fix the NHS because his SNP government “broke it”.

Swinney reiterates that there will be an increase in resources for GPs to the tune of £13.6m if his budget is passed.

He once again urges Sarwar and his colleagues to back the budget.

Back to Anas Sarwar, who says Swinney has had 18 years to improve the healthcare system.

The Scottish Labour leaders says the SNP promised 800 more GPs but the number of doctors has fallen by over 200.

Sarwar adds that patients across the country are “sick” of being told there are no GP appointments which is a result of “the SNP’s failure to get to grip with NHS waiting times”.

Swinney says Scottish Labour should back his budget to “start making the progress he is interested in making”.

Findlay looks to make Swinney squirmpublished at 12:31 Greenwich Mean Time 20 February

12:31 GMT 20 February

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Russell Findlay’s key goal today was to make John Swinney uncomfortable.

He wanted to get the first minister to own the gender self-identification policy which was primarily pushed by his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon.

Did he succeed?

Mr Swinney did find a way to speak at length about the legal reasons why he couldn’t discuss the specific case of the NHS Tribunal.

But he also quoted at length from the guidance issued to health boards and other organisations, repeatedly.

He was able to answer the questions in a factual manner without straying into the more ideological territory the Tory leader was seeking to challenge him on.

Ultimately Russell Findlay managed to pivot to his core talking point ahead of next year’s election - the claim that other parties are “utterly disconnected from the real world” and that the Tories are the ones standing up for common sense.

He will be happy that he managed to get that line in and play to his voter base.

But Mr Swinney in turn was able to turn to the issues he would far rather talk about, around the NHS and the cost of living and the environment.

And it meant he could close with a flourish by saying he’s the one seeking to bring Scots together, rather than divide them.

Next up is the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, who asks about NHS waiting lists.

He says that one in six people are on an NHS waiting list, and asks when the government will stop “focussing on disciplining a nurse” and start focussing on issues such as supporting staff and clearing backlogs.

This comes after his party pledged to improve access to GPs if they are elected at next year’s elections.

The first minister says his budget will include a record-settlement for the NHS.

The SNP's focus on gender has harmed Scotland's public services, continues Findlay.

He argues Labour leader Anas Sarwar and the Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton are just as culpable as the SNP in backing "this nonsense".

He calls on the FM to bin his gender ideology.

Swinney again argues the Equality Act 2010 provides guidance on single-sex facilities.

The FM says he will take no lessons from Russell Findlay, who is only here to support division.

Image source, scottish parliament

Again the FM gets to his feet and refers to the Equality Act 2010 which provides for single-sex facilities.

Swinney tells the chamber he does not know why Findlay is "sowing division in society" when the legal position is crystal clear.

Findlay hits back saying he, at no point, has asked the FM to comment on the specific case.

The Scottish Tory leader says "this madness is not just happening inside the NHS", adding it's in schools, prisons and rape crisis centres.

"Scotland's public services waste too much time, energy and money on this nonsense."

He asks if Swinney can really have no regrets about his handling of the gender issues.

The first minister reiterates that he cannot comment on live legal proceedings.

Swinney tells the chamber if Russell Findlay can't accept that the Scottish Conservatives are in a "dismal place".

Image source, Scottish Parliament

That last response from John Swinney is not accepted by the Scottish Tory leader. "We can indeed talk about the generalities of this case," argues Findlay.

He insists women's rights to single-sex spaces are not protected by the NHS and accuses Health Secretary Neil Gray of having done nothing last year to address this.

The Scottish Tory leader asks if this guidance has been scrapped and, if not, will Swinney do so.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The Scottish government insists the guidance to public bodies on how single-sex services and spaces should operate is "clear".

But organisations from the prison service to the Rape Crisis network have run into difficulties over their policies.

Meanwhile, there's an ongoing tribunal case involving NHS Fife's staff changing rooms.

Nurse Sandie Peggie claims she was subjected to unlawful harassment by being made to share a changing room at Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, with Dr Beth Upton - who is a transgender woman. Ms Peggie's claim is disputed by the health board and the doctor.

This is an issue which has raised questions which have tied politicians in knots and engaged judges right up to the Supreme Court.

What are the relevant laws and guidance which underpin how single-sex spaces work in practice, and why is there such confusion around them? Click here to read more.

John Swinney begins by saying all MSPs will stand in solidarity with Ukraine, to much applause across the chamber.

The FM then turns to the gender row and says the government has taken the view that it cannot comment on the ongoing proceedings that Findlay raises.

He tells the chamber there is detailed legislation that backs that view.

"If I was to comment on this case, I would be in danger of breaking the law."

The FM says the Equality Act 2010 allows for the exclusion of a trans person from single-sex facilities.