• Nicola Sturgeon insisted that independence is "an alternative to the failing UK system"
• This in response to Douglas Ross who accused her of planning to hold another "divisive independence referendum" in October of next year
• The Scottish Tory leader accused the FM of ignoring the priorities of the Scottish people
• The FM hit back saying the problems facing the country were being exacerbated by the government and leadership at Westminster

• Anas Sarwar accused the Scottish government of a culture of contempt and of leaving billions of pounds of Covid recovery money in its reserves
• The Scottish Labour leader says the SNP government is "clipping the wings" of Audit Scotland
• The FM hit back saying the government does not set the budget of Audit Scotland
• She accuses Mr Sarwar of not doing his homework

That's all from the live page team today. Have a lovely afternoon.

Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie asks about the increased use of locum staff in the NHS.

Ms Sturgeon says the use of temporary staff in the NHS - locum, agency or bank workers - is a very small fraction of NHS staffing.

She says every health system has to make some use of temporary or agency staff.

Ms Baillie says the use of temporary staff has risen to £423m in 2021/22, a rise of 30%.

She acknowledges this was over the Covid pandemic but says most of it was down to the increased level of vacancies in the NHS.

Ms Baillie says nurses are quitting the NHS to work for private agencies which then provide staff for the NHS.

The first minister says there are a record number of staff in post in the NHS in Scotland.

She says demand is growing. The pandemic created more work and many staff have been off sick, she says.

Ms Sturgeon says the majority of staff come from the NHS staff bank, meaning they are paid NHS rates.

• READ MORE: Inflexible NHS is forcing nurses out, union warns

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Labour MSP Pauline McNeill says the pay offer for Scotland's police has been described as derisory.

Police officers in Scotland are considering what industrial action they could take after rejecting a flat £565 annual pay increase.

READ MORE: Scottish police officers consider action over 'derisory' £565 pay deal

The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) turned down the pay deal saying there was "palpable anger" among officers.

Ms McNeill asks what the first minister is doing to make sure police officers do not feel undervalued?

Ms Surgeon says she wants to see all public sector workers get the fairest settlement possible.

She says police pay is negotiated through the Police Negotiating Board and the process is ongoing.

Ms Sturgeon says it would not be appropriate for her to cut across that process.

Tory MSP Russell Findlay raises the issue of Baby J who was 11 weeks old when he died in West Lothian in 2014.

Mr Findlay tells the chamber Baby J suffered multiple broken bones in his short life, but no-one has been held to account since.

He calls for "a full and independent review".

The first minister replies "these are tragic and horrific circumstances" and she expresses her "deep condolences" to Baby J's loved ones.

It's really important all lessons are learned, she continues saying any findings of any processes will be in the public domain.

Mr Sarwar says Ms Sturgeon is being condescending in her comments about him.

He says the reality is that she quotes selectively from the Audit Scotland report.

The Labour leader repeats that there are billions of pounds of Covid recovery reserves sitting in accounts unspent.

Ms Sturgeon again says that Mr Sarwar has made basic errors.

"It is not condescending to point that out," she says.

"It is not my job to hide the incompetence of the leader of the Scottish Labour Party."

Anas Sarwar says Ms Sturgeon is denying the reality of what is in the Audit Scotland report on Covid spending.

He says it refers to money that was committed but not spent.

The Scottish Labour leader says the Scottish government has used emergency Covid funding to build up reserves.

He says it is like taking a payday loan money and putting it in your savings account.

"It does not work and it is not good for Scotland," he says.

Mr Sarwar says the government has a culture of contempt for anyone who exposes the inconvenient truth.

He says SNP figures are talking of clipping the wings of Audit Scotland and have already cut its budget in order to make it difficult for it to do its job.

The first minister says Mr Sarwar has not done his homework.

"The Scottish government does not actually set the budget for Audit Scotland", she says.

It is independently funded through the Scottish Parliament, she says.

The first minister also denies that any funding in the Scottish reserves relates to Covid-19 business support .

"Basic stuff, that I would have thought the leader of an opposition party would have known," she says.,

Image source, Getty Images

Background

The Scottish government needs to be clearer about how and why it spent £12bn of emergency funding during the pandemic, the country's spending watchdog has said.

Audit Scotland said more than 300 funding announcements have been made at Holyrood in response to Covid.

But it said it was hard to see how some financial decisions were reached.

And it said the government needed to allow greater scrutiny of whether its spending achieved the desired results.

Audit Scotland's report said the Scottish government had worked well with the UK government, councils, NHS boards and other public bodies to direct billions of pounds of Covid funding in difficult circumstances.

• Read more here
• Watchdog concern over where £5bn Covid funds went

Image source, Reuters

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says Audit Scotland has published the latest in a series of reports outlining the Scottish government's failures.

He says the government made more than 300 spending announcements during the Covid pandemic but failed to monitor how that money was spent.

Mr Sarwar added that 40% of the extra cash for health and social care had not been spent.

He says there were billions of pounds of cash for Covid recovery being held back while our public services are crying out for support.

Ms Sturgeon says: "That is not what this morning's report shows.

"It is a very good, positive report and we will pay very close attention to the recommendations it makes."

The first minister says the Scottish government spent more on Covid than was allocated.

The report says the Scottish government managed its budget effectively, she says.

"Your priorities are all wrong," hits back Douglas Ross.

It's a crucial moment for public services and the economy, he continues.

The Scottish Tory leader says: "Scotland has the potential to rebuild stronger."

He asks why the obsession with a referendum is more important to the first minister than people's priorities.

The first minister replies: "Independence is about ensuring that we can better meet the priorities of the Scottish people."

Ms Sturgeon says so many of the challenges Scotland is facing are exacerbated because it is not independent.

She says we currently have a prime minister even Douglas Ross does not back and she points to the resignation of Boris Johnson's former ethics adviser Lord Geidt.

He quit after being placed in an “impossible and odious” position over a plan to risk breaking the ministerial code.

Image source, PA Media

Mr Ross says these issues are put on the back-burner.

The Scottish Tory leader accuses the government of setting a date for an "illegal referendum" and says drug deaths spiral when the SNP campaign for another referendum.

He says the first minister "took her eye of the ball and people lost their lives".

The Tory's Right to Recovery Bill provides solutions, he argues.

The first minister replies her government will look very carefully at Douglas Ross's bill when it is published.

She hopes there can be consensus on this issue and the willingness to work together is there, she argues.

The FM points to a reduction in suspected drug deaths in the months to March 2021.

She says Douglas Ross is not a democrat and accuses him of being terrified of the substantive debate on independence.

Douglas Ross says the first minister cannot focus on improving our country when she is planning to divide it again.

The Scottish Tory leader points out the "census was a shambles".

About 87.9% of homes returned the census, according to the latest figures, after the deadline was extended due to the low return rate.

Mr Ross turns to Scotland's NHS and cites record highs in waiting lists. He asks why the first minister is not fully focusing on this.

The first minister replies that these issues do have her full focus.

Ms Sturgeon says across 10 different countries, outlined in a new paper laying down the case for independence, they "make the case for Scotland to become an independent country".

The first minister lists a number of areas where Scotland is doing better than the rest of the UK.

She argues they are higher NHS staff numbers than the rest of the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon welcomes Douglas Ross's line of questioning which she says at least is an "implicit" recognition that "Yes - the people of Scotland will have their say on independence".

This will be in line with the democratic mandate this parliament has, she continues.

The first minister says the case for independence is not separate to the big challenges, rather it is part of the solution to them.

She says it presents an alternative to the failing UK system.

Image source, Getty Images

Background

The Scottish government plans to hold a second independence referendum in October of next year, according to its constitution secretary.

Angus Robertson said MSPs would be given a "route map to the referendum which we intend to hold next October" in the coming weeks.

It comes the day after the Scottish government published a paper setting out a "fresh" case for independence., external

The UK government has said now is not the time for another vote.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously only said that she wants a referendum to be held before the end of next year - with a date in the autumn widely believed to be the most likely.

But Mr Robertson went further when he told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the plan was to hold it in October 2023.

• Read more here
• Sturgeon unveils case for Scottish independence
• Will there be another Scottish independence referendum?
• At a glance: Scottish government independence paper
• Why is Scottish independence back in the spotlight?

Douglas Ross gets First Minister's Questions under way saying the Scottish government plans to hold "another divisive independence referendum" in October next year.

The Scottish Conservative leader asks why pressing issues like the ferries and the attainment gap should have to "play second fiddle to a divisive independence referendum next year".

Welcome to our live coverage of First Minister's Questions on Thursday 16 June 2022.

Nicola Sturgeon will face questions from opposition party leaders and backbench MSPs,

We'll bring you reporting and analysis of the major stories that come up during the weekly political jousting.

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