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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has published her government's plans for the year ahead.

The programme for government , externalincludes establishing a National Care Service, reforms to the Gender Recognition Act and plans to extend childcare.

Ms Sturgeon also said the Scottish government would restart work on a "detailed prospectus" in advance of its goal of holding a referendum on independence by the end of 2023.

The opposition parties urged her to focus on recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic rather than independence.

The main points of the programme include:

• A National Care Service Bill to implement reforms to the care service and a pledge that funding for social care will rise by at least £800m over the lifetime of the parliament
• A new system of "wraparound" childcare before and after school and during the holidays
• A collective pardon for miners convicted of various offences during strikes in the 1980s
• Extra funding for frontline healthcare and mental health services
• A fox control bill to strengthen the law on the use of dogs in hunts
• A new law for stronger regulation of the sale of fireworks

That's all from the live page team today. Thanks for reading.

Drivetime with John Beattie
BBC Radio Scotland

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Finance Secretary Kate Forbes tells Drivetime with John Beattie that money is not currently being "actively spent" on an independence prospectus - but she "wouldn't say" the cost would be in the millions.

While the prospectus is not dominating her time, Ms Forbes says the government "will get to that point".

She also says she does not have a figure for the number of people who would work on it.

During the pandemic, work on the constitution was put "on the back burner", she says.

However, she insists work will be commencing on an updated prospectus over the coming year.

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Tracy Black, of the employer's organisation CBI Scotland, says businesses will feel there ought to have been a greater focus in the programme for government on boosting economic growth to cement post-pandemic recovery.

She says there were encouraging mentions of greater access to finance but "the devil will be in the detail".

Ms Black adds that skills shortages remain a key concern so employers will be frustrated not to hear more about plans for upskilling and retraining.

Andrew McRae of the Federation of Small Business Scotland says the programme for government outlines huge ambitions but the challenge will be in delivery.

Today's Covid figures for Scotland recorded 5,692 new cases of the virus.

16 more people have died after testing positive.

And 805 people are currently in hospital with Covid.

You can see all of today's figures here.

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has published her government's plans for the year ahead.

The programme for government , externalincludes establishing a National Care Service, reforms to the Gender Recognition Act and plans to extend childcare.

Ms Sturgeon also said the Scottish government would restart work on a "detailed prospectus" in advance of its goal of holding a referendum on independence by the end of 2023.

The opposition parties urged her to focus on recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic rather than independence.

The main points of the programme include:

• A National Care Service Bill to implement reforms to the care service and a pledge that funding for social care will rise by at least £800m over the lifetime of the parliament
• A new system of "wraparound" childcare before and after school and during the holidays
• A collective pardon for miners convicted of various offences during strikes in the 1980s
• Extra funding for frontline healthcare and mental health services
• A fox control bill to strengthen the law on the use of dogs in hunts
• A new law for stronger regulation of the sale of fireworks

Prof Nicola McEwen of Edinburgh University tells the Politics Scotland programme that what stood out about the first minister's speech was the "lack of detail" about independence referendum.

She says the commitment to look again at the detail of a white paper means there is "no rush" for the government to take legislation through the courts.

Another stand-out issue was the "big claims" about a national care service being likened to the establishment of the NHS - Prof McEwen says we will "need to await the details of that".

She concludes the big commitments are those that wouldn’t require laws, such as net zero, change to dental health, reducing waiting lists, changing the economy and climate change.

"The big challenge for the government is in delivering these pledges, we've seen with last parliament it’s easy to make the commitment, but much, much harder to achieve it in policy terms," she says.

Promise of a 'green travel revolution'published at 15:45 British Summer Time 7 September 2021

15:45 BST 7 September 2021

David Henderson
BBC Scotland Business and Transport Correspondent

Nicola Sturgeon's promising a green travel revolution. That'll be music to the ears of her new Green allies. They want to nudge travellers towards more environmentally friendly options. And Nicola Sturgeon seems willing to spend on a big scale to speed up that journey.

For a start, we'll see a huge rise in funding for cycling and walking routes. Today the first minister said within four years, active travel will absorb 10% of the entire transport budget. Children will get a free bike if their family can't afford one.

But she's applying the hand-brake to car use. Nicola Sturgeon said that by 2030, Scottish motorists will cut their overall car use by 20%. The aim - a huge cut in transport emissions. By the same year, there'll be no new petrol and diesel cars sold.

We already know there'll be strict limits on new road construction. Some, especially in remote and rural areas, fear the effects of that. Will this power-sharing deal with the Greens leave new roads and bridges unbuilt?

From January, everyone under 22 will travel by bus for free. Within 2 years, most diesel buses will have been removed from Scotland's roads. A new funding package, already agreed, could mean publicly-run bus networks springing up across Scotland.

It's all change at ScotRail too. The rail operator's being brought into public ownership in March - and there's a commitment to fully decarbonise the service by 2035.

Can this new approach persuade Scots to leave their cars behind? The challenge is to make public transport so good - and active travel such a safe and easy option - that driving becomes a thing of the past for more of us.

Health, social care, child poverty and inequalities top prioritiespublished at 15:41 British Summer Time 7 September 2021

15:41 BST 7 September 2021

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Much of the first minister’s Programme for Government is repetition of the manifesto on which she won re-election in May - with some Greenery added.

And like that campaign, the priority is given to health, social care, child poverty and inequalities.

The economy appears lower down the list of priorities. It includes continuation of tax breaks, such as the Business Bonus Scheme - taking smaller firms out of having to pay business rates.

But there is no indication of deep reform of the business rates system, which is seeing growing pressure from business lobbying.

Most of the approach to the economy is in support for workers to re-skill and prepare for new green jobs, in the face of opposition attacks that promised money is not being spent.

There is support to help young people onto the jobs ladder, with a guaranteed place in either a job, training or education. There is funding for broadband into places it wouldn’t otherwise reach, and for digital skills. The rural economy gets a special shout-out.

For the more proactive support that business figures want to see, linking all these elements together to boost the growth rate, it seems they will have to wait for the "10-year economic transformation strategy” being worked up by economy secretary Kate Forbes with a new team of external advisers. That’s due later this autumn.

Scotland must lead by example on climate changepublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 7 September 2021

15:37 BST 7 September 2021

Kevin Keane
BBC Scotland environment correspondent

Nicola Sturgeon promises to do everything possible to secure a "Glasgow Agreement" when world leaders attend the UN climate change conference in two months.

To support that outcome she says Scotland must lead by example.

Alongside other financial commitments, a £50m "National Challenge Competition" will encourage ideas to decarbonise our economy.

It has echoes of the Saltire Prize for innovation in marine energy technology - which took more than a decade for any cash to be awarded.

This time there's a climate emergency at stake requiring the funds to be issued much faster.

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Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton begins by saying this is the fourth year his party has highlighted mental health waiting times.

With 208 children waiting more than a year for an appointment, the figure is now 2,138, he says, and wants to know how the government will clear those.

Following an intervention by the SNP's Kevin Stewart, he insists that some mental health services - including a website called Beating the Blues - are "inferior".

Willie Rennie also intervenes urging Mr Cole-Hamilton to ask the FM to address a recent case where Police Scotland were fined for "materially contributing" to a woman's death after a crash on the M9.

Ms Sturgeon says it is important for her to "behave responsibly" as the case is still live, and it is not appropriate for her to "respond in substance".

Mr Sarwar calls for the Scottish Child Payment to be quadrupled.

The Scottish Labour leader argues this would cut child poverty by a third.

The first minister intervenes to say the government is already doubling the payment to children and will do so again.

Mr Sarwar hits back saying the reality is the legal target will be missed.

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Anas Sarwar says the PfG is "short on big ideas".

The Scottish Labour leader says: "This isn't good enough. It isn't bold enough. And it won't do enough."

He goes on to say it is a "tired and rehashed programme".

Mr Sarwar says: "We are up against a global pandemic, a growing healthcare crisis and a climate emergency. There is no time to waste."

He says there are "ideas bigger than independence".

The Scottish Tory leader says Ms Sturgeon "glossed over" the lack of action on drug deaths and offered no new plans.

Mr Ross says this is why his party is going to bring forward its own plans for a "right to recovery" bill to ensure it is treated with the "laser focus" and the resources this "national scandal" deserves.

"This was a chance for the government to commit to our proposal and it will be a disappointment to many that they failed to do so," he says.

Mr Ross also criticises the National Care Service, which he says will see funding spend on administration, rather than frontline care staff.

He also says the economy is clearly not a top priority for the government.

Mr Ross also says education is continuing on the same "failed agenda".

Mr Ross says he welcomes the commitment of wraparound childcare, a policy he claims the Scottish Conservatives led on before the SNP.

And, as the son of a school dinner lady, he says he also welcomes the continued roll-out of free school lunches and breakfasts in primary school. Another policy he claims the Tories were in favour of first.

But he criticises the first minister for claiming record investment in the NHS when it is less than the extra cash coming to Scotland due to health service spending increases in England.

Mr Ross warns that the Scottish government cannot siphon off health spending for other priorities.

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Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross responds to the first minister's speech by saying the programme for government was delayed from last week because Ms Sturgeon "prioritised" taking Green MSPs into government.

He says her priorities were wrong last week and they are wrong again today because another independence referendum is "front and centre" in the first minister's plans for the year ahead.

He says the priority should be Scotland's recovery from the pandemic but instead paragraph four of her statement was independence.

"This government should be pouring every single bit of effort into the economy, into tackling drug deaths and into remobilising our NHS," Mr Ross says.

• Scottish government to restart work on case for independence

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has set out the Scottish government's plans for the year to come at Holyrood.

She said the immediate priority of the government was to lead Scotland out of the Covid pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon reiterated the Scottish government's plan to hold another independence referendum before the end of 2023 and announced officials will resume work on a "detailed prospectus" in favour of independence.

Other key points were:

National Care Service Bill – the first minister confirmed the government will introduce legislation for a National Care Service, describing it as "the most significant public service reform since the creation of the National Health Service". Funding for social care would also increase by £800m over the five years of this parliament, a rise of 25% and remove charges for non-residential care.

Childcare – Ms Sturgeon says the government will extend entitlement to funded early years learning to all one and two year olds - starting with low income households. She says they will develop a system of wraparound childcare, offering care before and after school and during holidays. This will be free for families on the lowest incomes and available at an affordable cost to others.

Gender Recognition Reform Bill – reforms to gender recognition will go ahead within the next year, Ms Sturgeon confirms. She acknowledged many people had "sincerely held concerns" about the plans but she says it will make the existing process of gender recognition “less degrading, intrusive and traumatic”.

Miners’ Pardon Bill - to provide a collective pardon for those convicted of certain offences during the 1984/85 miners’ strike.

Not proven – Ms Sturgeon says she will launch a public consultation on whether the “not proven” verdict should be abolished.

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The FM confirms the government invest at least £1.8bn to make homes and buildings "easier and greener to heat".

By 2024-25, she says at least 10% of the transport budget will be dedicated to active travel

Ms Sturgeon confirms that from January everyone under 22 years old will be eligible for free bus travel.

And by 2030, she says the government will have ended the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

She also says another aim is to complete public ownership of ScotRail by March.

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The Scottish government will support pilots of a four-day working week, says Ms Sturgeon

She also vows to publish a ten-year strategy for the economy setting out how Scotland can achieve net-zero while being prosperous.

She also says there will be a ten-year £500m Just Transition Fund for the north east and Moray.

And there will be £70m invested to give all young people age 16-24 the guarantee of a job, place in education or training, or formal volunteering opportunity.

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The FM says the Scottish Child Payment will be extended to cover children up to age 16 by the end of next year.

On the increase of the payment from £10 to £20 per child per week, she insists the government’s intention is to do this “as early as possible”, but it will be considered as part of the budget.

Work will also be done to develop a minimum income guarantee, she says, and hopes it will “lay the foundations” for the introduction of a Universal Basic Income in the event Scotland becomes independent and “has full powers over tax and welfare”.

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Ms Sturgeon turns to businesses affected by the pandemic, saying 100% rates relief will continue for the retail, leisure, aviation and hospitality sectors until March 2022.

She says in the next 12 months, she will launch a fund for rural entrepreneurs to support the relocation or creation of 2,000 new businesses.

And she promises to double the community land fund to support further community buyouts of land and property in rural and urban areas.