Here's a reminder of the main issues raised at today's FMQs - the penultimate session of questions faced by Nicola Sturgeon before a new SNP leader and first minister is announced on 27 March.

• Douglas Ross focused on the delayed ferry contract and asked what bonuses of £87,000 given to "highly paid chiefs" were for
• Nicola Sturgeon accepted the criticism in an Auditor General's report of those payments and said new processes were now in place to make sure it did not happen again
• Anas Sarwar raised NHS dentistry, the lack of practices taking on new patients and the inability of the public to get free care
• The FM highlighted statistics which showed Scotland had more NHS dentists than England, including 95% of the population being registered with an NHS dentist
• Ms Sturgeon also faced questions from other MSPs on childcare commitments, swimming pool closures, deaths in A&E, a rise in excess deaths, and the case of a remand prisoner who died after being restrained face down by 13 prison officers.

That's all from the live page team today. Thanks for your company and join us next time.

Jamie Greene signs that this is Sign Language Week and he thanks "our wonderful parliamentary interpreters".

The Tory MSP asks if the first minister will join him in raising awareness of British Sign Language and acknowledge that this year's theme is Protecting BSL .

The first minister signs briefly and says she agrees with Mr Greene.

Nicola Sturgeon echoes all his sentiments, adding that BSL is a beautiful language.

Lucy Adams
Social affairs correspondent, BBC Scotland

Police have been told to investigate whether the Scottish Prison Service should be prosecuted over the death of a remand prisoner, the BBC revealed.

Allan Marshall died after being restrained face down by 13 prison officers at HMP Edinburgh in 2015.

The officers were given immunity from prosecution when they gave evidence at a fatal accident inquiry.

Now the lord advocate has instructed police to examine whether the prison service has corporate responsibility.

Dorothy Bain KC has also told the family she cannot prosecute the officers for perjury because their immunity is so far-reaching.

If the prison service is prosecuted for corporate homicide, which is the equivalent of manslaughter in England and Wales, it will be the first time this action has been taken over a death in custody.

Allan's older brother, Alistair Marshall, has spoken about the case for the first time in an interview with BBC Scotland.

He welcomed the lord advocate's actions, but said he was angry about how long it had taken.

• Read more here
• Justice secretary to apologise over custody death
• Family want action over prison struggle death

Scottish Labour’s Pauline McNeill asks if the Scottish government will provide the police with access to all correspondence with the Scottish Prison Service to assist with the investigation regarding Allan Marshall, which she calls a “shocking episode in Scottish justice”.

Mr Marshall died after being restrained face down by 13 prison officers at HMP Edinburgh in 2015.

Nicola Sturgeon says her thoughts and condolences remain with the family but with a live police investigation under way, it would inappropriate for her to comment on the case directly.

She confirms that the Scottish government will co-operate fully with the investigation.

The FM adds that she understands the sentiment expressed and her heart goes out to the family.

Progress is being made, she says, on recommendations including an independent investigation into every death in custody.

Labour MSP Paul O'Kane says that in the final quarter of 2022 excess deaths in Scotland rose by almost 10% of the five-year average.

This means an additional 1,433 died than would have been expected, he says.

O'Kane says: "This is the heartbreaking reality of Humza Yousaf's disastrous record as health secretary and it will be legacy of this first minister"

Ms Sturgeon explains she makes comparisons with the rest of the UK for context.

The FM insists there is an improvement in waiting times.

Image source, Getty Images

Waiting times at Scotland's A&E departments have improved, according to the figures published in January.

Public Health Scotland data, external showed that of the 20,580 people seeking emergency care during week ending 15 January, 64% were seen during the target time of four hours.

This was an increase from 57.2% the previous week and is the best performance since November.

However, the number of people going to A&E has been decreasing for weeks.

The Scottish government's target is for 95% of patients to be seen, then admitted or discharged, within four hours.

The number of patients at A&E fell from a peak of 26,532 in the week to December 16 to 20,580 in the most recent figures - the lowest in more than a year.

• Read more here
• Five big problems the NHS in Scotland needs to fix
• A&E patients enduring 'inhumane' conditions
• Glasgow's hospitals pause non-urgent operations

Tory MSP Craig Hoy says new figures have revealed that an estimated 765 people died due to "dangerously long A&E times".

That's 64 patients dying needlessly each and every month under this SNP goverment, he says.

Mr Hoy calls on the first minister to apologise to the families of the patients who died and "say sorry for her government's appalling legacy on the Scottish NHS".

The first minister says she accepts that long waits lead to poorer outcomes, hence the focus on reducing A&E waiting times.

She again says the A&E departments in Scotland are the best performing in the UK and the waiting times picture is improving.

Image source, Getty Images

Murdo Fraser raises the issue of swimming pools facing closure across the country and in Perth where he lives.

The Tory MSP points out leisure centres with swimming pools in England were given a £63m boost in Wednesday's Budget and he asks if the Barnett Consequentials will be used in a similar way here in Scotland.

The FM quips: "I'm not sure if Murdo Fraser has been invited to use the prime minister's personal swimming pool, but if he hasn't I'm sure that invitation will be forthcoming."

Earlier this week it was reported that the prime minister's private swimming pool in his constituency home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, used so much power that the local electricity network needed to be upgraded to meet demands.

The FM says local sport and leisure facilities are vital and energy costs have been a very significant issue.

Ms Sturgeon says the use of consequentials will be decided by the next first minister and his or her cabinet.

Meghan Gallacher MSP, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, asks the FM if the Scottish government should match the childcare expansion announced by the chancellor in yesterday’s Budget, with 30 hours of free childcare for working parents to also cover one and two-year-olds.

Nicola Sturgeon says that if the Scottish government were to match its UK counterparts, it would have to reduce the provision currently available in Scotland.

“We are already way ahead of anything the UK government provides,” she says, highlighting a doubling of early years childcare under her administration.

What the chancellor announced was ”very limited”, she says, with the consequentials from the Barnett formula amounting to “just around £28m”.

The Scottish government’s ambition “remains very much higher”, adds the FM.

Image source, UK Parliament

The UK budget will be worth an additional £320m to the Scottish government over the next two years, the chancellor has said.

Jeremy Hunt said the money would be on top of £1.5m of funding for the Cloddach Bridge in Moray and £8.6m for Edinburgh's festivals.

Mr Hunt said one of the UK's 12 new Investment Zones would be in Scotland.

He did not announce any funding for the Acorn carbon capture project in Aberdeenshire.

But he did confirm that alcohol duty would "go up in line with inflation in the usual way" in a move the Scotch Whisky Association described as a "hammer blow" to the industry as it would raise duty on a bottle of Scotch by 10.1%.

The only exception to the hike in alcohol will be for drinks sold on draught in pubs, where from August the duty charged will be up to 11p lower than it is on products sold in supermarkets.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asks what the Scottish government’s response is to the UK government's Spring Budget.

Ms Sturgeon welcomes "any additional money" that comes to Scotland, but says "it does not go nearly far enough".

She says: "The chancellor's budget yesterday was another missed opportunity."

The FM points out that the UK government could have done far more.

FM's big book of answers was up to the taskpublished at 12:46 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2023

12:46 GMT 16 March 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Anas Sarwar may have also hoped to surprise the first minister with a curveball question, asking about access to NHS dentistry.

But Ms Sturgeon’s trademark big binder of statistics was up to the task.

It must have greater depths than Wikipedia, for the first minister was somehow able to dig out figures for child oral health.

So Mr Sarwar pivoted neatly to the chaos gripping the SNP leadership contest referring (in jest) to Kate Forbes running a “saltire-waving Stop the Steal rally” outside Holyrood.

And he renewed his attack on Humza Yousaf, the health secretary whom Labour have been endeavouring to see sacked for months now.

Mr Yousaf – sitting to the first minister’s side, for now – will be hoping that she leaves behind her big book of answers if he succeeds in taking Ms Sturgeon’s place.

Mr Sarwar outlines some other figures around the state of NHS dentistry in Scotland.

He says 59% of dentists have reduced the amount of NHS work they do since lockdown, and 83% plan to reduce NHS services in the year ahead.

It is very clear “an exodus is in motion”, he says, adding that the profession has lost confidence in Humza Yousaf and the health secretary – and leadership contender - is “not up to the top job”.

Nicola Sturgeon responds that it is up to the Scottish people to make judgements on her government.

It is meeting the challenges and will continue to do so, the FM adds.

The FM says the government has worked to incentivise NHS dentistry and is in the course of starting to abolish dental charges, starting with young people.

She says there are 57 dentists providing NHS services per 100,000 people in Scotland, compared with 43 in England.

She adds that 54% of adult patients were seen by an NHS dentist in the two years, compared to just 38.2% in England.

Latest figures also show 95% of the Scottish population are registered with an NHS dentist, the FM says, which is a “solid foundation” to work from.

Mr Sarwar points out that both he and his wife are qualified dentists and he has seen first hand during his time working as a dentist in Paisley the impact of “government failures”.

He says data obtained through a Freedom of Information request shows just one in five practices are taking on new patients and in four health boards, no practices are taking on new patients.

Almost one in 10 children have severe decay or an abscess, he says, which is up significantly since 2020. Tooth extraction is the most common reason for children to be admitted to hospital, Mr Sarwar says.

The health secretary Humza Yousaf is “incompetent and out of his depth”, he concludes.

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says yesterday’s Budget gave tax breaks to the wealthiest and did nothing for those most in need.

But he says the Scottish government is also not doing enough to address the NHS crisis, asking the FM what proportion of dental practices are refusing to take new patients?

Nicola Sturgeon says she doesn’t have the figure immediately to hand, but that 1.6m NHS dental examinations were completed between April and October, with an average of 300,000 courses of treatment per month.

She says that means the service is on course for 3.5 million contacts over the financial year.

The FM adds that there are clearly pressures on NHS dentistry, like all parts of the health service, but that the government continues to support the dentistry profession.

This was about the government’s competencepublished at 12:22 Greenwich Mean Time 16 March 2023

12:22 GMT 16 March 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Ferries is an old favourite topic for Douglas Ross – and one he felt he might wrongfoot the first minister on, given she was presumably braced for a broadside about the SNP’s leadership contest.

MSPs are awaiting a ministerial statement this afternoon about the long-delayed ships being built at the Ferguson yard, and will have the chance to question John Swinney about it.

But Mr Ross skipped the queue by firing his questions directly at the first minister.

He raised an Audit Scotland report about “unacceptable” bonuses being paid out to “fat cat” bosses at the publicly-owned yard.

But his point was a broader one, about the government’s competence and its ability to deliver on its promises.

Ms Sturgeon had to “acknowledge legitimate issues” with the procurement of the ferries, and said ministers were “seeking to address” the issue.

She didn’t want to give away any spoilers for Mr Swinney’s statement later in the afternoon.

But she had to mount a defence of the process nonetheless – in her penultimate session of FMQs - wanting to protect her own legacy.

The Scottish Tory leader says CMAL, the ferry agency, has spent nearly £100,000 on a PR firm.

"What a waste of money," he declares.

Mr Ross asks: "When will these ferries be ready and how much will they cost?"

The first minister says the estimates for costs and delivery of the ferries are in the public domain, they will be updated when appropriate.

Fergusons has continued to progress with the building of the ferries.

Ms Sturgeon says: "I deeply regret these failures."

Image source, PA Media

Mr Ross asks again: "What was done by the fat cats to deserve £87,000 of bonuses?"

The Scottish Tory leader says today there are reports that the current chief executive at Ferguson Marine can get a £82,000 bonus every year.

Ms Sturgeon hits back, saying Audit Scotland said there was not significant clarity on the basis of why the bonuses were paid.

The FM reiterates that the deputy first minister will make a statement on ferries this afternoon.

The first minister reiterates that the Audit Scotland report said it was not able to be clear about these bonuses.

Ms Sturgeon says that is why new arrangements have been put in place to ensure a situation like this does not arise again.

She highlights that management at the shipyard has changed.