Summary

  • Humza Yousaf welcomes the chief constable's statement that Police Scotland is institutionally racist and sexist

  • Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross raises the issue at FMQs shortly after Sir Iain Livingstone, appearing before the Scottish Police Authority, acknowledges the force's problems

  • Mr Ross says there are serious issues in terms of resourcing for frontline services. He asks: "Are Scotland's police officers being asked to do too much with too little?"

  • Yousaf says he does not accept the characterisation of the question, adding that officer numbers compare favourably to the rest of the UK

  • The leader of Scottish Labour Anas Sarwar says Sir Iain's words must "inspire action"

  • He then turns to Freedom of Information requests suggesting they have grown five-fold because the Scottish government is not being transparent. "What has he [Humza Yousaf] got to hide?" asks Sarwar.

  • The FM appeared before a committee of Holyrood convenors earlier this week, the first since taking on his role

Live Reporting

Edited by Paul Hastie

  1. First Minister's Questions: The Headlines

    Here's a quick recap of the headlines from today's first minister's questions:

    • Ross argued the problem of discrimination in Police Scotland was systemic and he called for action on the issue
    • The FM said the chief constable's statement was "monumental" and "historic" and is just the first step in dismantling institutional discriminatory structural barriers
    • Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said ministers are "riding roughshod” over Freedom of Information laws, with the number of requests passed on to ministers for approval rising five-fold and waiting times doubling
    • The FM insisted that while there have been “challenges”, the Scottish government has a “very good record” at responding to FOIs
    • Yousaf also faced questions on millions spent on consultants for ferry advice, violence and disruption in schools, the dementia strategy and under-25 sentencing guidelines

    That's all from the live page team today. The writers were Bryn Palmer, Craig Hutchison, Auryn Cox and Morven Mckinnon. Thank you for joining us.

  2. Analysis

    Admitting Police Scotland failures is a bold move

    David Cowan
    BBC Scotland

    Scotland's outgoing Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone says Police Scotland is institutionally racist.

    Earlier at FMQs, Humza Yousaf welcomed the chief constable's statement that Police Scotland is institutionally racist and sexist. Our home affairs correspondent has this analysis...

    Admitting Police Scotland has serious institutional failures is a bold move when you've been in charge of the force for more than half its existence.

    This politically savvy chief constable will say it's the right thing to do and the right time to do it, as he prepares to step down.

    Sir Iain Livingstone's words will be closely examined at the public inquiry which is investigating whether race was a factor when Sheku Bayoh died in police custody eight years ago. Sir Iain took care to mention Mr Bayoh's family today.

    His statement will be applauded by many in civic Scotland at a time when the force's handling of its investigation into the SNP has attracted criticism from some political quarters.

    As for the reaction from inside the force, Sir Iain's popularity with the rank and file will help them accept this tough message - but Police Scotland's frontline is already under great pressure.

    The force has its lowest number of officers since 2008 because of real terms budget cuts and an independent review has described frontline resources as the greatest challenge to changing its culture.

    The review group said officers have "little or no space" to devote to reflection or training.

    Sir Iain has acknowledged what his counterpart in the Met, Sir Mark Rowley, has refused to do.

    He's said Police Scotland is guilty not just of institutional racism but also institutional discrimination.

    He's admitted a lot of people have been let down.

    It will be years before we find out whether this is a catalyst for real change or just fine words from a chief constable who's about to walk out the door.

  3. Background: Jill Barclay murder

    Jill BarclayBarclay family

    On Wednesday, Rhys Bennett was jailed for the rape and murder of mother-of-two Jill Barclay, a crime the judge described as "medieval" in its barbarity.

    She was attacked and burned while still alive in Aberdeen last year.

    Bennett, 23, admitted the crimes and was told he would spend at least 24 years in prison.

    The judge said he would have faced at least 29 years in prison had it not been for his age and early guilty plea.

  4. FM defends judicial independence after Rhys Bennett sentencing

    BennettPolice Scotland

    Bennett was jailed for a minimum of 24 years

    Tory MSP Russell Findlay turns to the jailing of Rhys Bennett for the rape and murder of Jill Barclay.

    He says Bennett's prison sentence was reduced due to new under-25 sentencing guidelines.

    He asks if the FM thinks they should be applied "no matter how wicked and barbaric the crime".

    These are matters left to the independent judiciary, replies Humza Yousaf.

    He says that must be the case even in the "most heinous and despicable cases" such as the murder of Jill Barclay.

  5. Arran is 'perfect example' of our marine aims, says Yousaf

    arranGetty images

    Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens asks the FM about what impact the Scottish government’s Nature Restoration Fund is having on communities in Arran.

    The FM says the fund will provide £65m over the course of the current parliament, helping to restore nature and address climate change.

    A total of £430,00 from the scheme has been awarded to three projects on Arran, which all bring benefits for nature and local communities, he says.

    Greer highlights the success of Lamlash Bay’s ‘No Take Zone’ – protecting the marine environment and boosting the local fishing industry.

    Yousaf says Lamlash Bay is a perfect example of what the government is trying to achieve around Scotland's seas and they are working with local communities to ensure sustainability in future.

  6. FM pledges to publish dementia strategy later this month

    Labour's Claire Baker asks for a response to reports of leading dementia expert Craig Ritchie leaving the NHS, and his comments on problems with infrastructure and blockages in the system.

    The Herald reported that Ritchie quit the NHS in Scotland saying patients were being denied life-changing drugs..

    The FM recognises the expertise Ritchie has built up over the years and says he takes his crticisms very seriously indeed and adds the health secretary is looking into this.

    Baker highlights a gap in dementia policy and the actual care delivered.

    Yousaf says the government will publish a dementia stratetgy later this month.

  7. Background: Tackling pupil violence in schools

    Violence in schoolsGetty Images

    The Scottish government is to hold a summit aimed at tackling violence and disruption in Scottish schools.

    The announcement comes two weeks after three teachers and a pupil were injured after being attacked by a former pupil at Johnstone High School.

    Last year, teachers at Bannerman High school in Glasgow held strike action in protest at repeated violent behaviour.

    This year, teachers at a school in Aberdeen have also voted to strike over pupil violence against staff.

    The Daily Record newspaper has been running a campaign called ‘Our kids… our future’ highlighting a series of violent attacks involving school children, where videos are often shared on social media.

    Read more

  8. What can be done about violence in schools?

    SNP backbencher Rona Mackay raises the issue of violence in schools.

    She asks what will the Scottish government do in assessing the role of social media in encouraging such violence.

    The first minister says powers for regulating social media firms lies with the UK government but he will work constructively with them to see what can be done.

    On the same theme, Scottish Conservative MSP, Stephen Kerr, asks if an action plan on violence and disruption in schools will be in place for the start of the next school year.

    Yousaf says they are currently gathering evidence on the extent of such violence and he will reflect on what more can be done.

  9. Will island communities be compensated?

    Scottish Conservative Donald Cameron asks if the first minister will commit to a compensation scheme for island communities affected by ferry disruption.

    He said the island of Mull is at the sharp end of the country's ferry crisis, with people unable to get on or off the island due to the SNP's "catastrophic management of the ferry network".

    Yousaf says he has looked into the issue around financial penalty deductions on ferries which fail to run.

    "I think it's right that money is re-invested for the entire resilience of the network," he says.

  10. Background: Ferry network consultant costs

    Lord of the IslesCalMac

    Ministers have spent more than £5.5m on consultants to consider the future of Scotland's ferry network.

    The Herald reported that the money has been spent on two consultancy firms to help them decide whether CalMac will retain the west coast ferry contract from next year.

    The paper said two firms had been recruited at a cost of £5m to provide legal advice and examine commercial implications.

    A further £500,000 has been spent with consultants Ernst and Young since 2015.

    The Scottish government has also faced calls to release a "secret" report by shipbuilding consultancy First Marine International which examined the performance of the nationalised Ferguson Marine shipyard.

  11. Tories accuse government of 'dither and delay' over ferries

    Tory MSP Graham SImpson asks why consultants have reportedly been hired to advise on the next Clyde and Hebrides ferry contract.

    The FM says his government is committed to consulting with Scotland's island communities about the new contract.

    He adds: "It's routine practice to use specialist advisers for complext high-value projects such as this one."

    Simpson says the government has spent £5.5m on consultants to advise them on what to think about running the ferry service.

    He says there's no time left and there has been to much "dither and delay".

    Yousaf hits back pointing out "the Tories don't like the use of experts". He stresses the importance of getting the expertise that is required.

  12. Yousaf and Sarwar trade insults in chamber

    While the first minister claims he and his government are transparent, the Scottish Labour leader says Yousaf is “transparently hopeless”.

    Sarwar maintains the SNP “despise transparency” and “cover up failure instead of confronting it” – citing the “shambolic” deposit return scheme, the ferries “fiasco” and bereaved families at Glasgow’s QueenElizabeth Hospital.

    Anas SarwarGetty Images

    “Desperate, desperate” stuff is the FM’s response. He says Sarwar has "lots of style but no substance, demanding we take action but no facts to back it up".

    Yousaf reels off a list of statistics about the Scottish government’s response to FOI requests.

    He insists they have an obligation to take legal advice and adhere to it with a "responsible approach".

  13. Government has 'good record' on FOIs, says first minister

    computerGetty Images

    Humza Yousaf says it is a sign of “increasing desperation” that the Scottish Labour leader is relying on insinuation, "throwing as much mud as possible" and a "scattergun approach".

    The Scottish government has a very good record at responding to FOIs, and one of the most ambitious targets of any UK government, the FM says.

    While he accepts there have "undoubtedly been challenges", he is more than happy to look at what more the government can do to ensure it is the "most transparent on these islands".

    He has made it clear, he adds, that when ministers are asked to sign off FOI requests, they should do so "with urgency and pace".

  14. Waiting times for FOI requests have doubled, says Sarwar

    After some initial comments on the chief constable's "bold" statement, which he says "must inspire action", Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar turns his attention to the "culture of secrecy at the heart of this SNP government".

    Sarwar says Freedom of Information (FOI) laws are one of the last defences against SNP cover-up but ministers are "riding roughshod over these laws".

    New data published by Scottish Labour today shows the number of FOIs passed on to ministers for approval has risen five-fold, he says.

    Once a case has been signed over to officials, waiting times have doubled, he adds, with one in six FOIs breaching legally binding response times.

    What has the first minister got to hide? Sarwar asks.

  15. 'It must be dealt with with the utmost urgency'

    Douglas Ross says his party has been raising the issue of Police Scotland's complaints system for three years and addressing it is absolutlely crucial.

    He says: "It must be dealt with with the utmost urgency."

    The Scottish Tory leader turns to training issues and work pressures and he asks if the FM accepts police officers are being "asked to do too much with too little".

    Yousaf does not agree with that characterisation and he goes on to say funding can never be an excuse for institutional racism, institutional mysogyny and institutional discrimination.

    This is met with cross-party applause in the chamber.

    The FM points out police funding has been increased year on year since 2016 and there are now 30 police officers per 10,000 in Scotland, which compares favourably with the levels in the rest of the UK, at 24 per 10,000.

  16. Police complaints system is broken, says Douglas Ross

    Douglas Ross

    The Scottish Tory leader tells the chamber the SPA review also found outright fear among officers about bringing forward complaints.

    Ross insists it is unacceptable that police officers raising concerns were punished.

    He asks if the first minister will vow to change the current complaints system which is "broken".

    The FM points out that work from the Dame Elish Angiolini review and various reports is being taken forward.

    Yousaf accepts there is more work that can be done and says it is important to look at the complaints system.

    He reiterates that he welcomes the chief constable's statement this morning.

  17. 'We must dismantle barriers across society'

    Douglas Ross says the problem of discrimination is systemic and asks what action the first minister will take urgently.

    Yousaf reiterates this is something everyone should reflect on.

    The FM quotes Labour's Anas Sarwar pointing out "this is a fight for us all" and everyone has a role in challenging this issue.

    He says the public and private sector must dismantle the barriers that exist across society.

  18. Police statement is first step to tackle discrimination, says Yousaf

    Humza Yousaf begins by commending Sir Iain Livingstone for acknowledging institutional racism, mysogyny and other discriminatory behaviours within Police Scotland.

    The first minister explains: "That is the first step that is required in order to then dismantle those institutional structural barriers that exist."

    He says, as a person of colour, the statement from the chief constable is "monumental" and "historic".

    Humza YousafGetty Images

    The first minister hopes this statement reminds everyone they have a responsibility to reflect if they are doing enough to address structural discrimination.

    It is "so important we now see action", he tells the chamber.

    This is met with warm applause in the chamber.

  19. No surprise that the first question is on Police Scotland

    Douglas Ross says this morning's meeting of the SPA and the independent review raises a number of concerns about systemic issues throughout Police Scotland.

    The Scottish Tory leader points to instances of racism, sexism and homophobia.

    Ross asks for the first minister's response to the statement from Sir Iain Livingstone this morning.

  20. Background: Police Scotland institutionally racist, says chief

    The chief constable of Police Scotland, Sir Iain LivingstonePolice Scotland

    The first minister is to take questions after a revelatory Scottish Police board meeting where the chief constable admitted that the force is institutionally racist and discriminatory.

    Sir Iain Livingstone said prejudice and bad behaviour within the force was "rightly of great concern".

    He also said that acknowledging the issues exist was vital for real change to happen.

    His revelation follows the publication of a review into the force's culture which found instances of racism, sexism and homophobia by serving officers.