So, there were no surprises in FMQs today, with the Budget and the NHS dominating proceedings.

Here's the key lines that emerged this lunchtime:

• Russell Findlay accused the SNP of a "con trick" over income tax arguing the changes to thresholds will save Scots earning less than £30k just £1 a month
• The FM hits back accusing the Scottish Tory leader of "economic incompetence" and insists his government is "delivering for Scotland"
• Anas Sarwar also began with the Budget but quickly focused on health service funding and "one in six Scots being on an NHS waiting list
• Swinney pledged to work on improving waiting times and highlighted the record £21bn investment in the NHS in the Budget
• Alex Cole-Hamilton raised concerns about maternity service in the north of Scotland and the "barbaric" journeys mums to be had to face
• The FM adopted a more concilliatory tone saying his ministers would look into the issue and pledged to "engage with Mr Cole-Hamilton" - hints of a Budget deal perhaps?

That ends our live coverage of First Minister's Questions. The editor today was Calum Watson. Craig Huchison and Ashleigh Keenan-Bryce were the writers. Thank you for joining us.

Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer says while he welcomes Budget announcements on free ferry travel for young islanders and free bus travel for asylum seekers, there were no plans for a cap on bus fares or funding to make walking and cycling safer.

He asks the first minister if he recognises "far more" is needed to make public transport cheaper, cycling safe and reduce transport emissions.

The first minister says he recognises there is a lot to be done in tackling the climate emergency and is pleased the government has increased climate positive expenditure to £4.9bn.

Swinney adds he would like to do more and he agrees with Greer on a number of issues but the government can only allocate the funds at their disposal.

Image source, Orbex

A rocket manufacturer is to "pause" construction of a spaceport in Sutherland to instead focus its launch efforts in Shetland.

Orbex announced it would now aim to launch its first rockets from SaxaVord Spaceport.

The company, which is based at Forres in Moray, said it would retain the lease on the Sutherland site and did not rule out developing it in future.

Highland and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which has provided millions of pounds of funding for the Sutherland project, said it was deeply disappointed by the decision.

Read more here.

Rhoda Grant points out we learned yesterday that Sutherland spaceport has been mothballed by Orbex.

The Labour MSP says Orbex have received £14.6m of public investment for the spaceport and she asks if the FM will intervene to make sure the development continues or make sure the public investment can be recouped.

"I understand entirely the concern that Rhoda Grant puts to me," says Swinney.

The FM pledges to have his ministers see if there is any other way forward and he adds Grant's point about public investment is "completely reasonable".

Image source, Wilson family handout

Banker Alistair Wilson was shot on the doorstep of his home in the Highlands in 2004. His killer has never been caught.

Mr Wilson, 30, and his wife Veronica had been bathing their two young sons and getting ready to read them a bedtime story when the killer came to the door.

A blue envelope, which had the name Paul on it, was handed to Mr Wilson on the doorstep.

He went inside and showed it to his wife, but the envelope had nothing inside.

When Mr Wilson returned to the door he was shot.

Two decades on with the killer still unknown, Mrs Wilson said the families relationship with police had "steadily deteriorated" due to unresolved issues not being properly addressed.

Police Scotland said they remained committed to finding the killer and getting justice for the Wilson family.

On the anniversary of Mr Wilson's murder, Det Ch Supt Suzanne Chow told BBC Scotland: "We are taking it right back to what happened in 2004.

"We are being totally impartial, totally open minded and ensuring a thorough investigation is carried out."

• Murdered banker's family have 'lost confidence' in police
• Doorstep Murder police 'open minded' 20 years on
• The Big Cases: The doorstep murder

Scottish Conservative MSP Douglas Ross raises the case of Alistair Wilson - the banker from Nairn who was shot dead on his doorstep 20 years ago.

Ross says Mr Wilson's widow Veronica and his family have shown great dignity but are now critical of Police Scotland's handling of the case and refusal to meet the family.

He acknowledges the first minister cannot comment on a live police investigation but asks whether he will meet the Wilson family.

The first minister says he has every sympathy with the Wilson family and the trauma they have experienced.

Swinney says while this is a live investigation for the chief constable to handle, he is willing to meet with family and while there is a limit to what he can do, he is willing to listen to their concerns.

• Doorstep Murder police 'open minded' 20 years on

"There's no lack of focus on addressing the challenges on delayed discharges and social care in my government," the FM hits back.

Swinney says the National Care Service was designed to address the "huge variation" in care across the country.

"I intend to fix that," he says.

Craig Hoy argues Labour has let down the Scottish social care sector with its tax on jobs.

However the Tory MSP asks if the guilt for the "crisis in care" rests just as much with John Swinney as it does with Sir Keir Starmer.

He asks if the FM will take the opportunity to confirm that the Scottish government's planned National Care Service "is dead and buried".

SNP MSP Marie McNair asks the first minister what assessment the Scottish government has made of the impact of national insurance changes on not-for-profit social care providers.

McNair says the increase has been described as "catastrophic" for the social care sector.

The first minister says not-for-profit social care providers play a vital role in care across Scotland and praises the hard work and dedication in the sector.

He says the employers national insurance increase, estimated to cost the sector at least £85m a year, has been outlined to the UK government - and a request has been made for it to be reimbursed.

Swinney says: "We will continue to press the UK government to do the right thing and reimburse and I would ask all other parties in parliament to do the same."

The first minister adopts a more concilliatory tone in his answer to the Scottish Lib Dem leader and he pledges to look further at the issues raised by him.

Swinney explains it is about the clinical safety of the service involved, but he accepts mums are facing a "long and difficult journey".

"I will happily engage with Mr Cole-Hamilton and his colleagues," pledges the first minister.

FMQs sees lines for the 2026 electionspublished at 12:39 Greenwich Mean Time 5 December

12:39 GMT 5 December

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Unlike the exchanges with the Conservatives on tax, the SNP and Labour are fighting on very similar territory when it comes to public spending and the health services.

Everyone wants to put more money into the NHS; everyone wants to cut waiting times.

So to find a point of dispute you have to drill down to the difference between input and output. Mr Swinney boasts that a record settlement has gone in; Anas Sarwar says that isn’t improving what’s coming out for patients.

Usually these clashes are all about workshopping lines for the 2026 elections. In this case, they may need some work before they make it to a leaflet – and Mr Swinney was more focused on the shorter term and getting his budget passed in any case.

Mr Sarwar did avoid being pinned down on the topic of the two-child cap, which Mr Swinney was no doubt itching to thwack him with.

But a blow was landed on the topic of National Insurance Contributions – another knotty and complex issue where the two parties are at odds, but which doesn’t lend itself to the clearest of attack lines in the chamber.

It's now the turn of Alex Cole-Hamilton to put his questions to the first minister.

The Scottish Lib Dem leader says rural healthcare is a key priority for his party.

He points out that in the "far north" mothers have to travel 100 miles to give birth, a "barbaric" situation.

Cole-Hamilton says his party have frequently asked for midwife-led maternity care in the far north, asking what the SNP will do about it as "these mums are still in danger".

The first minister says there is a real problem if an opposition leader cannot "change his script" in response to answers given.

Swinney says he had already mentioned the importance of outcomes in the NHS.

To jeers from the chamber, Swinney says: "It's not good enough for Mr Sarwar if he can't even step up to be a decent leader of an opposition party to aspire to do anything else."

Swinney says for all his political life he has been interested in making progress in Scotland where more economic progress has been seen than other parts of the UK.

He once again challenges Sarwar to support the Budget and deliver a good outcome for the people of Scotland.

Anas Sarwar says SNP MP's voted against £5.2bn of additional money coming to Scotland.

He says Swinney "does what he always does" by reading out a list of inputs without addressing outcomes for patients.

Sarwar says: "It's not just about how much you spend, it's about the quality of care that patients receive and the health of our nation."

He says in all measures, Swinney and the SNP have failed and hope they can spend more money in the same way and get a different result

The first minister says there has been an increase in the number of operations performed in the last year as well as an increase on waiting time performance.

Swinney says the only "squandering" of opportunity that will go on is if the government is unable to put budget proposals forward on 1 April without parliamentary support.

He says he is open to discussion about the contents of the Budget but says Sarwar will "squander" his opportunity of strengthening public services if he does not vote for the spending plans.

Sarwar says Swinney has forgotten he is not a bank manager and is meant to be focused on delivering positive outcomes for the country.

He points to a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) which states that despite proportionally higher spending and more staff, Scotland’s NHS is lagging behind England.

The Scottish Labour leader then highlights an Audit Scotland report stating Scots have poorer outcomes than the rest of the UK with fewer patients being seen and no clear plan for reform.

Sarwar asks the first minister why the government is squandering £5.2bn that could take the NHS in a new direction.

The first minister says the government is focused on improving waiting times, as evidenced by the record £21bn investment in the NHS in the Budget.

He says ministers will continue to work with hospitals on initiatives to improve waiting times.

Swinney asks, if Sarwar does not like the “new direction” the government is taking on healthcare, whether he wants less investment.

He adds: “I welcome the investments that are being made in our public services and our public finances as a consequence of the UK government decisions.

“But what matters now is will the Labour party support the government by making sure that those numbers can be put into practical reality. Will the Labour party support the government’s budget to make sure we can invest £21bn in the NHS?”

Taxing exchanges during FMQspublished at 12:24 Greenwich Mean Time 5 December

12:24 GMT 5 December

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

The budgetary exchanges between the SNP and the Conservatives had shades of their old clashes over the constitution.

The two parties were always very pleased to talk about independence because their diametrically opposed positions played nicely to their own voter base.

The same is kind of true of tax.

The Tories want to highlight that the SNP taxes higher earners more. They say they’re “on the side of hardworking businesses and taxpayers”.

But the SNP are happy enough with that, because they’re proud of their approach to taxation, which asks higher earners to pay more to fund public services.

The parties simply have very different ideas about what taxation should look like, and this debate gives them both an opportunity to showcase those.

Anas Sarwar also begins his questions to the first minister with the Budget.

The Scottish Labour leader says the UK Labour government gave an additional £5.2bn for the Scottish government to spend on taking the country in a new direction.

Sarwar says this was “clearly missed” and asks the first minister, with one-in-six Scots on an NHS waiting list, why Swinney’s ambition by March 2026 is for patients to wait more than a year for an appointment.

Swinney highlights the tripling of investment in offshore renewables.

He goes through a list of Budget measures which he says show his government delivering to strengthen the economy in Scotland.