The debate on protecting rent-tied pub tenants in Scotland has finished and the Scottish Parliament has adjourned for the day.

And that concludes our live coverage from the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 20 May 2015.

Remember you can catch up on business from Holyrood at BBC Scotland's Democracy Live.

We will be back at 9.30am tomorrow morning, until then have a good evening.

The minister says it would be imprudent not to look at the cost estimates of the suggestions from Mr Martin however.

Mr Ewing says that some argue that there are benefits to the tied-pub system and both sides of the argument must be looked at.

He says instinctively he is on the side of the small guy, the tenant.

The Scottish government does recognise the need to take forward this matter says Mr Ewing who announces the commission of a study to look at the various models for pubs to see if the tied-pubs are being treated unfairly.

Mr Ewing says there are 1,100 tied pubs in Scotland but that the new legislation introduced in England would only be applicable to 538 tied pubs within the pubco measure.

Mr Ewing says he is entirely open to Mr Martin's calls for a statutory code of practice for pub companies to be implemented in Scotland and for the introduction an adjudicator to protect hard-working licensees.

Mr Ewing says many pressures exist on pubs and he is pleased the Small Business Bonus is still in place helping many pubs pay no rates.

He says the Scottish government will continue the scheme, if re-elected, to the end of the next parliamentary session.

Business Minister Fergus Ewing says the debate has been very constructive debate conducted in "sober conviviality".

Mr Ewing says pubs and bars contribute £1.5bn to Scotland's economy and he praises those who work in the sector.

The Campaign for Real Ale, external (CAMRA) helps preserve consumer rights in the UK beer and drinks industry.

Image source, CAMRA

The voluntary organisation campaigns for real ale, community pubs and consumer right, aiming to enhance quality and choice.

It was largely thanks to the so called Beer Orders, introduced in 1989.

The orders decreed no brewer could own more than 2,000 pubs and was aimed at enabling small brewers to survive in a market then dominated by six large national firms: Allied, Bass, Courage, Grand Metropolitan, Scottish & Newcastle and Whitbread.

However, the brewers, reluctant to open up their pubs to rival brewers' beers, instead created pub companies to which they sold their pubs. These pub companies were exempt from the Beer Orders legislation and as a result were able to own more pubs than the 2,000 originally decreed.

There are two ways of setting up a pub - an individual or group can set it up independently, meaning they have to pay the going market rate for rents etc, but leaving them free to buy supplies, such as alcohol and food, from whoever they like.

The alternative is a tied option meaning that they rent the premises from the pub company or brewery that owns it.

The rent and insurance and other items, referred to as "dry rent", are then typically lower than the actual market rate.

In exchange for this discount, pub landlords must buy beer and other supplies from the company that owns their establishment. This is the "wet rent".

Landlords pay a much higher rate for this "wet rent" than they would if they bought their supplies on the open market.

Tied licensees are paying up to 77% more for Fosters, 67% more for San Miguel and 55% more for Heineken, according to research from voluntary consumer organisation The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

MPs passed a small business and enterprise employment law in England and Wales to ensure that tied pubs are not worse off than non-tied pubs, says Mr Martin.

Mr Martin says the Scottish government should introduce an independent adjudicator and a statutory code of conduct here in Scotland.

Mr Martin says there are thought to be over 4,600 pubs in Scotland with 20% of those being tied pubs.

Image source, PA

The Glasgow MSP: "The tied model is wide open to abuse" with people forced to buy products at highly inflated prices meaning the tenants make very little money for themselves."

Mr Martin says that Scotland should have an adjudicator to protect hard-working licensees and that this would allow licensees to offer a wider selection of beers and promote market competition.

Image source, Thinkstock

The Labour MSP says he recognises that a Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) survey found that 99% of rent-tied pub tenants in Scotland would support such a move.

Labour MSP Paul Martin is leading a debate on protecting rent-tied pub tenants in Scotland.

In his motion Mr Martin says there are calls for a statutory code of practice for pub companies to be implemented in Scotland and that members of the UK Parliament recently amended the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill to introduce a code of practice designed to govern the relationship between pub companies and their tenants in England and Wales.

MSPs pass the Scottish government's amendment from the debate on education and the economy, with 62 MSPs backing it and 54 against.

The amendments from the Lib Dems and the Tories therefore fall.

Labour's amended motion is then passed with 62 MSPs backing it, 53 against and with four abstentions.

Image source, PA

Mr Gray says the statistics discussed today were available last week and they clearly show the number of candidates gaining levels 3 to 5 qualifications in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), the replacement for standard grades, dropped by 20%.

Labour MSP Iain Gray says we know that in Scotland we have the attainment gap, our youngsters are not all reaching the skills levels they should, which means a dramatic impact on the economy.

Image source, Getty Images

The moral failure of making no progress in reducing the attainment gap and in improving literacy and numeracy is paramount, but the economic impact must be considered as well says Mr Gray.

Iain Gray is closing for Scottish Labour saying the Scottish government has an economic strategy of the "the imaginary benefits" of extra powers.

Mr Gray says there is widespread agreement that education is key to developing the economy.

Ms Constance says the biggest challenge is the attainment gap but there is considerable success in the school system.

Image source, Getty Images

She says we need to be aiming high and be aiming high for all our children.