The finance secretary says the Bellwin Scheme has been activated.

Mr Swinney says further funding will be made available to Aberdeenshire, following the floods.. 

Finance Secretary John Swinney says his sympathies goes to those affected by the severe weather.

Mr Swinney says reducing flood risk is a Scottish government priority.

Mr Johnstone asks about the upper Deeside area.

The deputy first minister says the scale of the damage in Ballater is quite incomprehensible and he pays tribute to all support staff, firefighters and the general public.

High winds and heavy rain continued to batter Scotland yesterday, with dozens of flood warnings in place across the country.

The Met Office has amber "be prepared" warnings, external for Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire.

On Monday evening, residents in Canal Road in Inverurie were evacuated from their homes.

Police Scotland said there was potential for other streets in the town to be cleared as water levels continued to rise.

A rest centre for those forced to leave their homes was opened at Inverurie Academy.

Water levels in Kintore were also being monitored with a rest centre opened at the village hall as a precaution.

Earlier in the day, homes were flooded in Coupar Angus and some properties in Aboyne - including a care home - were evacuated as a precaution.

Police in Aberdeen warned the River Dee at Riverside Drive and Garthdee was close to bursting its banks.

In Perth, the gates were closed at Perth Harbour and on the Queen's Bridge as water levels on the River Tay rise.

Perth and Kinross Council said the river was rising "faster than expected, and higher than previous predictions due to the contribution of surface run off".

Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone asks the Scottish government what action it is taking in response to the recent flooding.

Topical questions is coming up with queries on flooding and the Forth Road Bridge. 

First though time for reflection with Mr Chris Gordon, Community Fundraiser, Bethany Christian Trust.

This afternoon we start with topical questions, with flooding across Scotland the first issue to be raised and then progress on mending the Forth Road Bridge. 

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will then lead the first chamber debate of 2016 entitled 'Supporting Public Services, Tackling Inequality and Growing Scotland's Economy'. 

Image source, Getty Images

 SNP MSP Mike Russell will then lead a debate on the Celtic Rainforest.       

That concludes the evidence session with the health secretary and the committee moves into private session.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says the 10,000 volunteers that support sport throughout Scotland were the basis for building the legacy from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Ms Robison says the legacy is a 'slow burn' and it is important to create sporting opportunities.

She says there is scope around shifting the balance of care to community services, to provide sporting and leisure activities. 

SNP MSP Dennis Robertson asks how much money is going to pharmacies to treat minor ailments.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says there is an ongoing negotiation over the pharmacy contract.

There is an element of the primary care fund for pharmacies attached to GP practices, she says.

  The role of community pharmacies is very important, says Ms Robison.   

Prime Minister David Cameron has apologised on behalf of the British government to victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

It came after a Scottish inquiry described the saga as "the stuff of nightmares".

Thousands of people were infected with Hepatitis C and HIV through NHS blood products in the 1970s and 80s.

But the inquiry concluded few matters could have been done differently.

And it made only a single recommendation - that anyone in Scotland who had a blood transfusion before 1991 should be tested for Hepatitis C if they have not already done so.

There was an angry response to the report, external from victims and relatives who had gathered at the National Museum in Edinburgh to see its publication after a six-year wait, with shouts of "whitewash" after its conclusions were read out.

The contaminated blood scandal has been described as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS, and was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people, many of whom had been haemophilia patients.

SNP MSP Richard Lyle says this year the NHS budget will reach £13bn.

Mr Lyle says one third of the budget is spent on health and he raises the issue of the Penrose inquiry and the forthcoming claims expected.

He says this may lead to £50m or more and he asks where that is in the budget.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says resources have been set aside in the budget to meet the needs of those affected.

She says an announcement will be made in due course. 

Ms Robison says, on seven day services, that, just because a procedure can be carried out on any day at anytime, this isn't necessarily sustainable or safe. 

The idea is to have seven day services as an when they are required for particular treatments. 

In October last year the government announced a £200m investment to create six new elective treatment centres "throughout Scotland" which would deliver about 22,000 more procedures annually by 2025.

Image source, NHS Scotland

The new network of elective treatment centres at Glasgow's Golden Jubilee; St John's in Livingston; Edinburgh Royal Infirmary; Ninewells in Dundee; Raigmore in Inverness and Aberdeen Royal Infirmary will receive the funding.

Commttee Convener Duncan McNeil says withdrawing some of the services from A&E will diminish it. 

Health Secretary Shona Robison says the idea is to have core services at local hospitals to provide a safe and sustainable service which would include A&E.

Ms Robison says for other services, such as vascular, the outcomes for patient safety show they are better delivered in a national or regional centre which specialises in such treatment. 

Health Secretary Shona Robison says there is "a broad consensus in building the right capacity in the right places" across Scotland.

Ms Robison says there is room for discussion over what is going to be done, where, within the strategy.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Catherine Calderwood says the more a surgeon does a complicated procedure the better the outcome for the patient.

Dr Calderwood says the National Clinical Strategy is starting to say where there is evidence of best practice and better outcomes, this must be addressed.   

NHS Scotland Chief Executive Paul Gray says a frame of outcomes should be set for the boards. 

Mr Gray says clinical decision making must remain central to the delivery of safe, person centred strategies.   

Scottish Conservative MSP Nanette Milne says there is a concern from the RCN about a lack of linkage between funding and outcomes and about a lack of scrutiny.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says she thinks that there needs to be a more systematic way to tackle health inequalities.

Image source, bbc

She says it must be built into the way business is done and primary care intervention can be one of the most important tools.

It will be significant if the GP contract can get this right, she says.

John Matheson from the Scottish government says there has been £10m funding to see if video links can be used to reduce travel.

There is further funding in video conferencing in the Highlands and Islands.

He says the Digital Health and Care Institute will be based just outside Motherwell.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says in terms of mental health there will be an additional £150m of additional investment over five years.

Image source, Thinkstock

This will build on the £100m already announced focussing on child and adolescent mental health services and funding to primary care services

Ms Robison says this funding came from Barnett consequentials.