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Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw has said the public "should have been told" about a coronavirus outbreak at a conference in Edinburgh.

At First Minister's Questions, he said the decision not to release information about the Nike event in February was "clearly the wrong call".

Nicola Sturgeon accused Mr Carlaw of trying to politicise the issue.

And she stressed that public health experts had taken the decision for patient confidentiality reasons.

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Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

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There are moves afoot to ease the risk of being stuck with two homes, if you buy before you sell.

At present in Scotland, you have to pay a 4% Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) on top of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. That’s aimed at those buying holiday homes, or who buy to let.

If you sell within 18 months, you get that tax rebated. But because of the hiatus in the market due to lockdown and the economic crisis, the Scottish government proposed to give sellers more time.

So if you bought a new home before 24 March 2020, the deadline for selling and receiving a rebate was being extended to 27 months.

A vote of the Scottish parliament on Tuesday extended it further, to 36 months.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission, which calculates the cost of such tax changes, said the new, 36-month deadline means more people will be able to reclaim ADS, and it will cost the Scottish government an estimated £15m.

A firefighter is hand-rearing three wild bird chicks after their mother was killed in an attack on their nest by a dog.

Inverness-based deputy assistant chief officer John Macdonald rescued the birds earlier this month. He has described his effort to raise the brood as a "lockdown distraction".

Animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA gave Mr Macdonald advice on how to care for the chicks, which are believed to be blackbirds.

They were first fed with raw mince mixed with sugared water and have since moved on to a diet of live mealworms supplemented with blueberries and seed.

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

"We have to get the right balance," says the first minister when asked about the possibility of Scotland's lawn bowling clubs opening up as lockdown restrictions are eased.

The query came from SNP MSP Bob Doris during FMQs.

"We have limited room for manoeuvre right now, that's what the data tells us and therefore we have to be careful and cautious," she says.

Nicola Sturgeon explains that it will be easier to bring back outdoor activities but adds that not all of them can be given a green light immediately and there will need to be "a phased return with clear priorities".

While acknowledging the importance of exercise and camaraderie of club sports, she stresses "safe, social distancing is likely to be with us for considerable time to come".

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The number of people dying with coronavirus in Scotland has fallen for the third consecutive week.

Figures from the National Records of Scotland, external showed that 332 deaths involving the virus were registered between 11 and 17 May.

This was 83 fewer than the previous week, and brings the total number of deaths to 3,546.

There has also been a further drop in the number of people dying with Covid-19 in care homes.

The statistics showed that 184 care home deaths were recorded - 54 fewer than the previous week.

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Marc Ellison
Data journalist, BBC Scotland

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Much has been made of how people from ethnic minority backgrounds are disproportionately dying with coronavirus. It's been estimated that black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die with coronavirus as white people in England and Wales. People from Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities also had a significantly higher risk of dying.

So, is there a similar situation in Scotland's BAME population? The answer is - we simply don't know.

National Records of Scotland (NRS), external have attempted to give a breakdown based on an unclear picture about ethnic background.

What they told us was that 9% of 2,272 coronavirus-linked deaths up to 26 April had no ethnicity. Of the remaining 2,046 deaths;

• 2,046 deaths (90%) were of people whose ethnic group was registered as white
• 20 deaths (1%) were of people from a black, Asian or minority ethnic group

But given the missing ethnicity information in 9% of cases, the true proportion of COVID-19 deaths among BAME groups in Scotland could be anywhere between 1% and 10%.

Note, however, that Scotland is not as ethnically diverse as England - the 2011 census showed that England's BAME population stood at 14.5% with Scotland's at 4%.

Arguably, a more significant denominator in Scotland is deprivation rather than ethnicity.

Data released by NRS last week revealed that people in the most deprived quintile of Scottish society were more than twice as likely to die from coronavirus than those in the most affluent quintile

MSPs will pass the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill this evening at 7pm.

The Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill has been amended to to clarify the rights of local authorities to take over a private nursing home if it's in financial difficulty, or if there's a threat to the life or wellbeing of residents.

It will also allow students to end their contracts with their hall of residence early.

But restrictions on freedom of information requests have been overturned and further amendments are expected to be passed this afternoon to ensure that companies that are based in tax-havens aren't given government bail-outs during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Here's the schedule:

2.30-6.00 pm:Stage 3 (amendments): Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill

• First Marshalled List of Amendments for Stage 3, external
• First Groupings of Amendments for Stage 3, external

6.00-7.00 pm:Stage 3 (debate): Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Bill

Holyrood Live
BBC Parliaments

At FMQs Nicola Sturgeon told MSPs "Guidance to business has not changed".

This was in response to SNP MSP Christine Grahame pointing out that work is being done on "several" building sites in her Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency.

"There has been particular engagement with the construction sector," adds the first minister, who promises to reveal more about a "phased restart" when details of the government's 'route map' to recovery are published tomorrow.

"We want companies to get back to work as soon as possible but we want them to do it safely," she says, while stressing there is still a "real and present danger" from the virus, which is a threat to lives and risks further damage to the economy.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has called on Boris Johnson to support exempting NHS and care staff from the surcharge on NHS use.

Mr Blackford spoke of Boris Johnson clapping for NHS workers on Thursdays, but also making them pay fees via an immigration policy to work in the UK.

The prime minister said his government had put in "the biggest investment in modern times" for the NHS and increased the living wage "by a massive amount".

PMQs coverage in text, video and images

House of Commons
Parliament

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A number of opposition MPs in Scotland have rounded on the leader of the House of Commons over plans for MPs to return to normal working early next month.

Jacob Rees-Mogg says the current experiment of a so called “. hybrid” parliament, whereby some MPs sit in the commons and others ask questions via video link should end, despite the continuing coronavirus outbreak.

Mr Rees Mogg says MPs should be seen to setting an example and should be present at their place of work, Westminster.

Scottish Liberal Democrat and SNP MPs say the move is wrong and potentially dangerous.

Tory MSP Ruth Davidson raises the concerns of couples waiting for IVF treatment. She highlights women under 40 are entitled to three rounds on the NHS, but this is reduced to one round when a woman hits 40.

She seeks assurance that no couple will be penalised because of the current pause on IVF services.

Ms Sturgeon says the health secretary will write to the member with more detail and to provide that assurance.

I don't want any woman undergoing IVF to have their chances of conceiving a child taken from them because of this crisis, she adds.

The first minister gives an assurance that her government will continue to consider the "barriers and challenges" women face in Scotland's labour market in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

In response to a question from MSP Pauline McNeill, Nicola Sturgeon says gender analysis is important and agrees that women continue to be undervalued at work and are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the fall-out from the current situation.

She points to her government's support for a real living wage but adds that "we still need to go further".

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In response to a question from former health secretary Alex Neil, Nicola Sturgeon warns there are "still big questions" on the use of antibody tests.

She says the evidence is not yet there to give assurance of "meaningful, long-lasting immunity".

The current antibody testing is being used as part of the government's community surveillance programme, she explains, adding that "sensitivity issues" mean they have only been useful for providing population level information.

On new, improved tests, she says there are ongoing discussions with the UK's other administrations to see how they can be best deployed.

Willie Rennie says he supported the initial decision to postpone non-urgent operations, but adds "there is capacity in our hospitals to do this now".

The Scottish LIb Dem leader asks the thousands of people waiting for treatment to be given some hope today, ahead of tomorrow's route map out of lockdown statement.

Ms Sturgeon says the government is working to resume any postponed procedures as "swiftly and as carefully as possible".

The first minister points out the pressure caused by the virus has not gone away and there are still significant concerns in our hospitals.

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Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says he has spoken to a woman called Linda, who is in pain and needs a gall bladder operation, but has been told she can only get it if her health gets worse.

The first minister says she wishes Linda did not have to wait and says her sympathies are with her, however capacity in the health service had to be freed up to deal with the virus.

She hopes that pressure will be reduced and the risks to patients having to come into hospital had to be factored in.

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Mr Harvie says there has been an "enormous effort" to end rough sleeping and unsuitable temporary accommodation. He insists once lockdown is lifted things cannot go back to the status quo.

He seeks a guarantee that no one will be put back on the street or into unsuitable accommodation.

The first minister agrees it is important to not go backwards on the progress made and says the Scottish government is considering what protections would be appropriate in future.

While she never would have wished for the pandemic, Ms Sturgeon says it does provide an opportunity to change society for the better.