Here's a quick recap on the main points to come out of today's First Minister's Questions, which was once again dominated by Covid WhatsApp messages.

• Humza Yousaf denied misleading parliament over government WhatsApp messages sent during the pandemic
• Both opposition leaders accused the FM of a cover up
• Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said the published timeline and the first minister's previous statements were "clearly contradictory" and the government should be "ashamed" for treating the parliament with "contempt"
• The FM insisted it was "not the case" that he and Shona Robison had misled parliament.
• Yousaf apologised "unreservedly" for any distress caused to bereaved families
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said Yousaf had "lost control" of his government and misled parliament more than once
• Yousaf said he disagreed "wholeheartedly" with suggestions the government had not co-operated and said he expected all evidence, including legal advice, to be handed over when requested

Thank you for joining us today. The editor was Paul McLaren and the writers were Craig Hutchison and Auryn Cox.

Image source, PA Media

As we have been reporting this week, at least three arrests have been made over Bonfire Night disorder in Scotland.

A group of 50 youths threw fireworks and petrol bombs at riot police in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh.

Eight police officers suffered minor injuries in Edinburgh and Glasgow on Sunday, and incidents were reported in other parts of Scotland.

Read more here

Alba MSP Ash Regan speaks at FMQs for the first time since defecting from the SNP.

She asks about the serious fireworks disorder experienced in her constituency in Niddrie and calls on the FM to join her in condemnation of the violence.

Regan goes on to call for additional resources for hotspot areas.

She also points out that a much-talked-about ban on fireworks would only possible with the powers of full independence.

At least three arrests have been made over Bonfire Night disorder in Scotland.

"We condemn, in the strongest possible manner, the violence and the reckless actions that we saw, not just in the member's constituency but in other parts of the country as well," replies the FM.

He pays tribute to emergency workers and "how despicable" it was they they found themselves under attack.

Despite the powers not being devolved to allow firework bans, "we will seek to do more" ,says Yousaf.

Last year, BBC Disclosure revealed that Scots with learning disabilities and autism have been locked in secure hospitals and psychiatric wards for decades.

Today a protest was held by the families of those affected outside Holyrood to raise their cases.

Sylvia McMahon's son Jamie, who has ADHD and autism, was taken to a secure hospital following a spell of challenging and dangerous behaviour seven years ago.

But despite twice being cleared to leave, he is still there, because no solution can be found for him to live in the community.

• Read more about Jamie's story here
• The patients locked in secure hospitals for decades

Alexander Burnett highlights that there is currently a protest outside Holyrood for new routes home for those "locked up" in hospital.

He asks the first minister what the Scottish government has done to get these patients home.

Humza Yousaf says the government is committed to delivering the coming home recommendations to reduce inappropriate hospital stays and out-of-area placements by people with learning disabilities and complex care needs.

"We all want - I know Alexander Burnett will agree with this - to ensure people are supported in a home that is right of them and as close to their families and in their communities as possible," he adds.

SNP MSP Rona Mackay turns to the issue of 450 job losses at Reach Plc

She asks if the FM agrees that, with senior executives withdrawing bonuses in the millions of pounds "while hard-working journalists are thrown on the scrapheap, the real losers in this is our very democracy".

The FM backs the SNP MSP "wholeheartedly" and pledges to do all he can to protect the quality journalism that is under threat.

Image source, scottish water

Scottish Labour MSP Pauline McNeill asks the first minister what the Scottish government's response is to reports that Scottish Water has issued bonus payments to executives in excess of public sector pay rules.

The first minister replies that the remuneration package paid to the CEO and senior management team at Scottish Water is significantly lower than comparable utilities - both by salary and bonus.

McNeill follows up by pointing out that three executives at the company had received bonuses worth millions of pounds in 2021 on top of a six-figure salary.

She asks why they qualified for performance bonuses when there were 14,000 sewage spillages last year alone and adds that the same executives are withholding a pay rise from their workers.

"What's gone wrong here?", she asks.

Humza Yousaf says McNeill's characterisation of Scottish Water is "deeply unfair".

He adds he hopes strike action with their workers can be avoided and says high wages are needed to attract high-level executives.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs asks what support is being given to NHS Lothian to contact the parents and guardians of the over 23,000 children who reportedly may have received substandard testing to identify deafness.

This, includes support to identify any other young children who have not received the required standard of auditory brainstem response testing.

The FM recognises the anxiety and anger that families will feel over this issue.

Yousaf explains the Scottish government is working with NHS Lothian to ensure the right support is in place.

This has been "catastrophic" and "unacceptable" insists Briggs and he asks for the government to agree to contact all parents and guardians and to provide re-testing where appropriate.

Yousaf pledges to get the health secretary to answer the series of questions asked by Miles Briggs.

The FM says this has been an "unacceptable catalogue of failures".

Image source, Getty Images

According to a UN poverty envoy, the UK government is violating international law with the levels of poverty seen across the country.

In an interview with the Guardian, external, Olivier De Schutter, the UN’s special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said it is not acceptable for a country as rich as the UK to have such high levels of poverty.

His comments comes ahead of a visit to the country this week where he will urge ministers to increase welfare spending.

The government insists that that it has not broken international law and that poverty has actually fallen since the Conservatives took power, the Guardian reports.

• One in 10 Scots living in 'very deep poverty'
• Quarter of Londoners living in poverty, charity says

Next up is the SNP's Collette Stevenson, who asks what the Scottish government is doing to alleviate poverty in Scotland.

Her question follows reports that the UK is in violation of international law in relation to poverty levels.

The first minister says the Scottish government is allocating almost £3bn to support policies which tackle poverty and protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

"While the Westminster government sign up to prolonged austerity, this government will continue to use every single lever available to lift people out of poverty," he says.

He adds it is no surprise to hear that the UN has accused the UK government of breaching international law over poverty levels due to Conservative policies.

An investigation by BBC Disclosure last month found rents in Scotland had risen by more than England - despite a rent cap imposed by the Scottish government earlier in the year.

In January, it was announced rent rises were to be capped at 3% to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

But Disclosure spoke to a number of people across Scotland who were still struggling.

Catherine Sheldon, 26, from Glasgow, faced a 35% rent increase from her landlord despite the cap due to a “loophole” which meant she would have to spend more than half her monthly income on rent.

• Read more here
• Rent rises to be capped and eviction ban to remain
• UK rents rise at highest rates since 2016

Green MSP Gillian Mackay asks how the Scottish government is supporting renters who are struggling with the cost of living.

Humza Yousaf says he is acutely aware of pressures facing renters and he higlights the capping of private sector rents in the Cost of Living Act.

Mackay strongly supports the emergency legislation to protect rents and she calls on landlords to work constructively with the government on the housing bill when it is introduced.

The FM says he wants a system of rent control that is right for Scotland

This is no parliamentary ding-dongpublished at 12:26 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2023

12:26 GMT 9 November 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Anas Sarwar has taken a slightly different tack on the same theme as Douglas Ross – the government’s willingness to co-operate with the Covid inquiry.

Legal advice is always a thorny issue, with the default position of all governments being to keep it private so that free and frank advice can be solicited in future.

But there have been occasions of great public interest – like Holyrood’s Alex Salmond Inquiry, as well as the likes of the Child Abuse Inquiry and the Trams Inquiry – when it has been published.

Mr Yousaf leaned on that as proving that the government is willing to do this, but a process has to be followed on a case-by-case basis.

Mr Sarwar was careful to link the whole thing back to the point of the inquiry – to get answers for people bereaved in the pandemic. This isn’t just a parliamentary ding-dong, it’s ultimately about those families.

In response, the first minister was endeavouring to send them the message that his government is committed to co-operating.

Sarwar says it is clear from Yousaf's answer that he is "sinking not swimming and is completely and utterly out of his depth" - and he adds there are still questions the first minister refuses to answer.

"Can the first minister tell us with full transparency, have any emails from SNP accounts been handed to the Covid Inquiry, if so how many and if not why not?" he asks.

Humza Yousaf replies that discussion would have to take place with their law officers to determine what emails can be unredacted.

He adds that the WhatsApp messages he has sent over has been unredacted.

"Let me say once again to the families who have been bereaved by Covid that this government will fully comply with both the UK Inquiry and with the Scottish Public Inquiry," he says.

A question of who you believepublished at 12:22 Greenwich Mean Time 9 November 2023

12:22 GMT 9 November 2023

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Reading between the lines here, it seems like the government has had a ticking off from the Covid inquiry.

Shona Robison published the timeline at the behest of the inquiry – showing a back and forth where they repeatedly clarified their requests.

And Humza Yousaf has now accepted that the government “clearly interpreted the requests in a way that was too narrow”.

He is holding his hands up to them, and to the Covid bereaved – but not, crucially, to the opposition parties who accuse him of misleading them.

Mr Yousaf insists that he was referring to a “very particular issue around specific WhatsApp groups” when he said the ask had only come in September.

He believes that the narrow reading of the requests by the government justifies the statement he made to MSPs.

Douglas Ross says the wording of the February approach was far wider, and Labour are in agreement.

For all that Mr Yousaf endeavoured to turn the issue away to inquiry evidence about UK government figures like Boris Johnson, ultimately it will be for voters at home to decide who has put forward the more believable account.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is up next and he also raises the issue of the Scottish government's handling of Covid WhatsApp messages.

He says the first minister appears to have "lost control" of his government and appears to have mislead parliament on multiple occasions.

He asks why the Scottish government is hiding legal advice and not co-operating with the Covid inquiry?

Humza Yousaf says he cannot comment on legal advice but insists he and his government have been complying with the inquiries request.

"I have handed all of my messages over to the inquiry," he says.

Humza Yousaf should be ashamed of the way he is treating this parliament with contempt and the families of greiving victims, says Ross.

The Scottish Tory leader says the first minister and his government have "been caught red-handed in a cover up" and he accuses them of false statements in parliament and misleading the parliament.

"Not the case," replies the first minister.

Again he reiterates that his government had interpreted the requests too narrowly and he points out he has submitted his messages unredacted.

The first minister insists the deputy first minister referenced the initial request in her written statement.

Yousaf says his government was "transparent" and he acknowledges the distress that has been caused to families who have been bereaved by Covid.

He says not a single Scottish government minister said "let the bodies pile up high".

That was former PM Boris Johnson, says Yousaf, and he adds Douglas Ross should be ashamed of defending him.

To remind you, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison - making a point of order in parliament - said the UK Covid inquiry had asked the government to "set out in more detail the full timetable of requests for information of the Scottish government".

In a written statement to parliament, she said:

• The Scottish government was initially asked on 4 November 2022 about WhatsApps and other "informal messaging systems" via a draft request under Rule 9 of the Inquiry Rules 2006.

• On 2 February 2023 the inquiry sent a final version of the Rule 9 request. This included requests for WhatsApp messages relating to the pandemic response and decision-making.

• Ms Robison said similar requests were received in February and March, seeking evidence, including WhatsApp messages, from Scottish government directorates.

• She said draft responses were sent "throughout Spring 2023", in which the government insisted all "key decisions and decision-making were recorded on the Scottish government corporate record". No WhatsApp messages were included as part of those responses.

• Those draft responses were finalised in June but the inquiry asked for further information about the use of WhatsApp groups "concerned with the Covid-19 response".

• Ms Robison said that once information concerning those groups was provided, the inquiry then asked in September for those messages to be handed over.

Read more here.

The Scottish Tory leader says the FM's predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, has been deleting messages and "running away from scrutiny".

Ross says the two most senior people in the Scottish government said the request for messages only came in September.

He adds: "It was deliberate.

"So why did Humza Yousaf and the SNP make these false claims?"