Summary

  • Nicola Sturgeon tells Holyrood's committee conveners that cuts to services, like the employability schemes, is necessary to fund public sector pay deals

  • She said: "What we need to try to do is focus money, as far as we can, on pay deals to attract people into areas of shortage."

  • Moments before the first minister appeared, the Bank of England announced it would step in to calm markets after the government's tax-cutting plans causes the pound to slide

  • Ms Sturgeon opened the session by saying that the tax cuts the UK government made in its mini budget on Friday are "not inevitable"

  • Those income tax rate changes are set to happen in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from April 2023, but not Scotland

  • Ms Sturgeon goes on to say that a "massive injection of money and people" is needed for the "rising demand" of the NHS

  • The Scottish budget cuts announcement in parliament on 7 September; the growing number of college drop-outs and the on-going issues around ferry services are also raised

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

  1. Impact of the rising cost of living

    Deputy Presiding Officer, and chair of the Conveners Group, Liam McArthur MSP has been speaking ahead of the session beginning.

    liam mcarthur

    This session will give conveners the opportunity to jointly question the first minister on issues of concern and relevance to the work of Parliament’s committees. I would expect there to be a strong focus on some of the key themes raised in the recent Programme for Government and how these relate to the impact of the rising cost of living.”

  2. Welcome

    Nicola SturgeonPA

    The first minister will be quizzed by Holyrood's committee conveners

    Welcome to our live coverage of Nicola Sturgeon giving evidence to Holyrood's committee conveners on Wednesday 28 September 2022.

    This meeting will give conveners the opportunity to question the first minister on her programme for government, which was announced on 6 September 2022.

    A key theme of the programme for government, and an issue several of the Scottish Parliament’s committees are already investigating, is what can be done to mitigate the rising cost of living.

    The group’s meeting with the first minister is set to last for an hour and a half and you can watch it here with us, just click on the play icon at the top of the page.