Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing says the scheme was announced on 13 September and delivery has continued on the timetable set out there.

Mr Ewing says regrettably there was an undervaluation of some payments to farmers.

He says no farmer or crofter will be worse off as a result of the undervaluation.

Image source, Thinkstock

Farmers have raised concerns about fresh issues with subsidy payments overseen by the Scottish government.

Ministers have set up a loan scheme to get funds to farmers who are yet to receive Common Agricultural Policy subsidies because of IT issues.

However unions said there had been errors in calculating the loan offers sent out to hundreds of farmers.

A government spokeswoman said they "regret this miscalculation" and were acting to get payments out on time.

SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson asks the Scottish government whether it will provide an update on progress that it has made in delivering the national CAP loan scheme.

MSPs quiz Scottish government ministers during topical questions.

Time for Reflection is being delivered by Reverend Manson Merchant, Minister, Dyce Parish Church, Aberdeen.

Topical questions will feature queries about the delivery of the CAP loan scheme and the leak from the Clair oil platform.

The Finance Committee will then lead a debate on the budget timetable.

Image source, Getty images

MSPs will then wrestle with the implications of the EU referendum on higher and further education.

After decision time, at the later time of 5.30pm,  SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson will lead a member’s debate entitled ‘Hate Crimes Against Polish Migrants’.    

Image source, bbc

Jackson Cullinane from Unite says there are far too many people who are bogus self-employed and people are having their national insurance ripped off.

Mr Cullinane says the gap there must be closed.

That brings the evidence session to a close. 

Image source, bbc

Patricia Findlay from the Fair Work Commission, external says there are lots of good, innovative fair work employers in Scotland.

Ms Findlay says these companies are exemplars.

She says, however, there are some companies that will only respond to a regulatory lever.

Women in the UK returning to work after having a baby fall even further behind men in earning power, a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.

The gap between hourly earnings of the two sexes becomes steadily wider after women become mothers, the IFS says.

Over the subsequent 12 years, women's hourly pay rate falls 33% behind men's.

Image source, Thinkstock

The IFS says this is partly because women who return to work often do so in a part-time capacity and miss out on opportunities for promotion.

Robert Joyce, one of the IFS report's authors, said women who chose to cut their hours on returning to work were not penalised with an immediate cut in their hourly wages.

However, he said: "Rather, women who work half-time lose out on subsequent wage progression, meaning that the hourly wages of men (and of women in full-time work) pull further and further ahead."

Image source, bbc

Lynn Henderson from PCS Scotland, external says innovation in the fair work agenda is very important.

Ms Henderson says the representation of workers around the equality and environment agenda is crucial.

She says there needs to be engagement between management and the unions on these issues.

Anna Ritchie Allan from Close the Gap says she agrees that voluntary initiatives do not solve gender equality.

Ms Ritchie Allan says the business pledge has been underwhelming and the number of employers signing up to it have been "a handful".  

She says companies should have to demonstrate what they are doing to increase gender equality if they are accessing public money.

Scottish Greens MSP Andy Wightman asks for examples in real innovation in Scotland or other countries that could be used to inspire fair work in the country.

Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie asks for practical measures the guests want to see.

Jackson Cullinane from Unite the union says he would "be struggling" to think of innovative measures in the UK. 

Mr Cullinane says we will not make much progress if it is left to an voluntary approach for employers.

He says we need government and local government intervention to influence things and change legislation. 

Lynn Henderson from PCS Scotland says there is a real issue in the central government sector.

Ms Henderson says unions have had to negotiate with each employer in the sector with some refusing to budge in terms of equality requirements and living wage structure.

She suggests more training should be given to these employers. 

Companies that fail to address pay differences between male and female employees will be highlighted in new league tables under plans announced in Februrary.

Those with more than 250 employees will be forced to reveal their pay gap.

Image source, bbc

The regulations will affect about 8,000 employers across the UK.

They will need to start calculating the pay gap from April 2017 - 12 months ahead of the first tables being published.

Latest figures suggest that women in the UK still earn on average 20% less than men.

Committee Convener Gordon Lyndhurst says there appears to be a suggestion that public services are failing in terms of the gender pay gap. 

Mr Lyndhurst asks if public services should be setting more of an example.

Patricia Findlay from the Fair Work Commission says public services are an example and women are still more likely to progress there than in the private sector. 

Ms Findlay says the public sector should be "exemplary" in terms of equality. 

Scottish Labour MSP Richard Leonard asks if failure to remain in the single market could have a "profound impact" on manufacturing.

Stephen Boyd from the Scottish Trades Union says the consequences of a hard Brexit are "profound".

Mr Boyd says the consequences are very damaging and even with a boost in manufacturing it does not necessarily mean a boost for employment in the industry.

Image source, Thinkstock

Men in Scotland are paid almost £11,000 a year more than women, according to new research.

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) said the gender pay gap stood at 29.2% and was the worst gap in the UK.

It follows conclusions by the Institute of Fiscal Studies, which found the wage gap in the UK became even wider when new mothers returned to work.

From April 2017 companies with more than 250 staff will be required to publish any gender pay gap data.

Lynn Henderson from PCS Scotland says public services in Scotland and the UK are "heavily dominated by women at the bottom grades".

Ms Henderson says there is normally very little opportunity for progression in these low administrative grades. 

She says there is a significant problem in terms of skills in this sector.