First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said it is "absolutely" not true that cuts to maintenance budgets led to the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

The bridge will be closed to all traffic until the new year after a defect was found in one of the support beams on the north tower.

Image source, PA

Ms Sturgeon said all maintenance that had been required to be done on the bridge had been done.

She said the crack that resulted in the bridge closure was "unforeseeable".

The bridge was closed on Friday after a failure of the "inner link support beam to the North east tower truss end link".

Transport Minister Derek Mackay thanks communities around the Forth Road Bridge for their continuing patience at this time. 

Mr Mackay says this is an issue of national significance.   

The Forth Road Bridge is to be closed until new year because of structural defects. The 51-year-old bridge has been hit by numerous problems over the past decade. What has happened this time?

From the end of next year, the Forth Road Bridge will cease to be the most important link between Fife and Edinburgh when it is replaced by the new Queensferry crossing.

The decision to build a new crossing came after years of problems with corrosion in the steel cables which support the existing suspension bridge's 13,800-tonne weight.

However, the latest closure is for a completely different failure.

Chartered engineer Mark Arndt, from maintenance contractor Amey, told a media conference he had been faced with an "unprecedented set of circumstances".

He described the fault as a failure of the "inner link support beam to the North east tower truss end link".

The engineer went on to explain how a crack of about 20mm in width had appeared in the load-bearing link.

If the same had gone on to happen on the other side, the road deck could have fallen by a minimum of 150mm (6in).

Transport Minister Derek Mackay is updating the parliament on the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie asks what the Crown and the government can do to facilitate the private prosecution of Harry Clarke. 

Mr Mullholland says the decision not to prosecute was not taken in a vaccum and was not taking without assessing what the law of evidence was. 

He says he will look at any bill of letters that is forthcoming. 

Lord Advocat Frank Mullholland says the Crown has already been in touch with the CPS and the DVLA and will ensure any future prosecution is fit for purpose. 

Lib Dem MSP Alison McInnes says the driver was never formally interviewed by the police. 

Is the lord advocate certain the investigation was as rigorous as it should have been, she asks. 

Mr Mullholland says nothing undermines the decision not to prosecute the driver of the bin lorry. 

He says the Crown recognises this is unpopular but the law must be followed. 

Ms McInnes says the Crown acts in the public interest in these cases. 

A fatal accident inquiry into the bin lorry crash in which six people died has made a series of recommendations, mainly relating to how a driver's fitness to drive is recorded.

Sheriff John Beckett said the most effective way of preventing a similar tragedy is

The sheriff said responsibility for this lies with drivers and the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency), the UK-wide body that issues licences to drivers.

He said the current fitness-to-drive regime was a self-reporting system which was "vulnerable to the withholding and concealing of relevant information by applicants".

The sheriff said the current rules were unlikely to prevent a "deliberate deception" such as that by driver Harry Clarke, who had a history of dizziness and blackouts which were not reported to the DVLA.

Here are the main points from the sheriff's findings:

Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland says the FAI findings raise significant issues for consideration. 

Mr Mullholland says the solicitor general has offered her assistance to implement the relevant recommendations. 

He offers his heart felt sympathies to all the families for their losses.  

A family which lost three members in the Glasgow bin lorry crash is to go ahead with a bid to stage a private prosecution of the driver.

The decision came after an inquiry found thatthe tragedy could have been avoided if Harry Clarke had not lied about his history of blackouts.

Mr Clarke, 58, was unconscious when the lorry veered out of control on 22 December 2014, killing six people.

The inquiry found he had "repeatedly lied in order to gain and retain jobs".

Relatives of Erin McQuade and Jack and Lorraine Sweeney made the announcement about the private prosecution after a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the crash published its findings.

In their statement, they criticised a decision by the Crown Office not to prosecute Mr Clarke and said they had instructed their own lawyers to take action.

Lib Dem MSP Alison McInnes ask the Scottish government what its response is to the findings of the fatal accident inquiry into the Glasgow bin lorry crash. 

South of Scotland MSP Jim Hume, a Lib Dem, raises the issue of the Bellwin Scheme and damage in Selkirk.

Mr Swinney says discussions will take place between Cosla and the Scottish government to decide which flooding prevention schemes will be taken forward. 

Conservative MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire John Lamont asks about plans for Hawick's flood prevention scheme. 

Labour MSP for Dumfries Elaine Murray asks the minister to encourage organisations to work with the council and bring flood defences forward.

Image source, PA

Mr Swinney agrees with Elaine Murray that the work of the emergency services and those working to protect against the weather are deserving of praise.

Finance Secretary John Swinney says Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders and Tayside were all hit by flooding and that is why he has activated the Bellwin Scheme. 

Ms McAlpine asks what lessons can be learned in Scotland by the failure of flood defences in Cumbria. 

Mr Swinney says the situation in Cumbria has been dramatically more difficult, although Scotland has had some very significant impacts due to flooding. 

He says careful planning for flood defences is essential. 

Scottish flooding minister Aileen McLeod is visiting Hawick to see the damage it suffered over the weekend. 

Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes sparking calls to speed up the implementation of a flood prevention scheme. 

The Scottish government has announced the floods have triggered their Bellwin Scheme which helps councils with the cost of such natural emergencies. 

Another rain warning is in place for parts of Scotland later this week. 

SNP MSP Joan McAlpine asks the Scottish government what action it is taking to help communities affected by storms and flooding. 

Welcome back for what promises to be a very busy afternoon at Holyrood.

 First up, as ever, is time for reflection, to be delivered by Reverend George R Fiddes from St Nicholas Parish Church, Prestwick.  

 From 2pm: Topical questions on flooding and the FAI into the Glasgow Bin Lorry tragedy.

This will be followed by a ministerial statement on travails of the Forth Road Bridge and their impact on Scotland.   

That ends the evidence session on the Transplantation Bill.

We'll be back at 2pm with topical questions on flooding and the FAI into the Glasgow Bin Lorry tragedy.

This will be followed by a ministerial statement on travails of the Forth Road Bridge.