That brings our coverage of the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 8 February 2016 to an end.

We'll be back tomorrow morning with the Europe Committee from 10am, as it studies the Brexit impact.

Have a good night.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says the refusal to acknowledge the misfiring incident is "completely unacceptable".

Mr Brown says one of the most compelling arguments is that Parliament has overwhelmingly voted against Trident in yet the weapons are stored here.

The economy secretary says jobs are a very real concern but the jobs can be safeguarded through business support. 

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says the UK government voted for Trident renewal despite only one MP in Scotland voting for it.

Mr Brown highlights the misfire of the Trident test missile which the UK government chose not to share.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain says all weapons can misfire and there are failsafes that allow you to detonate them.

Image source, bbc

Mr Mountain asks if the minister accepts missiles can go wrong and there must be tests.

Mr Brown says off course I accept that, but he says what he is talking about is the consequences of a misfire of a Trident nuclear missile with them affecting thousands.

He says it is serious that the misfire was not shared by the MOD.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown says this report effectively demolishes the jobs argument. 

Mr Brown says there is "no way on earth you can justify such expenditure for jobs."

He says "nuclear weapons are morally wrong because they are indiscriminate". 

Mr Brown says so many serving personnel and previous serving personnel have said Trident is not worth it.

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Maree Todd says the UK government still wants to renew Trident, knowing full well it fundamentally undermines our security.

Ms Todd says the UK's refusal to give up Trident is a basic disregard of the UN's Non-Proliferation Treaty, external.

She says polls consistently shows the majority of Scots oppose Trident.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay says the idea of a nuclear weapon is a new and novel concept to him.

Mr Findlay says, for those who are opposed to Trident, like him, the task is to convince others.

The Labour MSP says SNP MSP Rona Mackay's contribution will do nothing to build a coalition. 

Mr Findlay says there are those who say changes in politics make Trident and irrelevance. 

He says cyber crime and terrorism have been identified as the main threats and there should be a focus on this.

Conservative MSP Edward Mountain says when he was a soldier on the Rhine, outnumbered six to one by the Russians, in the 1980s.

Mr Mountain says there was a plan to hold the Russians back for five days and their plan was to get him and his comrades out of the way as fast as possible.

Image source, bbc

He says he knew the Russians would use nuclear weapons to get rid of the NATO forces.

Mr Mountain says he was delighted with the end of the Cold War and the 79% of reduction in the number of nuclear weapons achieve by the UK since then.

The Tory MSP says: "It is right we have an ultimate deterrent."

SNP MSP Tom Arthur says he is opposed to Trident and questions its independence. 

Mr Arthur says the power to authorise a launch sits with the UK government and the UK's membership of NATO is a deterrence,

Labour MSP Elaine Smith pays tribute to Bill Kidd for his effort on this issue. 

Ms Smith says Scottish Labour recently confirmed its policy against Trident renewal and anyone who is anti-Trident should want to welcome that.

Image source, bbc

She says Trident missiles are repugnant and a terrifying threat wherever they are.

Ms Smith says 600 jobs are directly dependent on Trident and they should be redeployed elsewhere.

SNP MSP George Adam asks, after the previous contribution, "where do I start?"

He says he disagrees with nuclear weapons and that the Jimmy Reid Foundation report makes the case well for not renewing Trident.

Mr Adam says the existence of nuclear weapons threatens the whole of civilization. 

He says deterrence is a rationale used by supporters of Trident but non-renewal would free up money. 

Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Corry says the only thing to stop a third world war in the 20th century was having nuclear weapons. 

Mr Corry says we do not face the same challenges in the 21st century but certain issues still remain.

Economy Secretary Keith Brown intervenes to ask what countries should possess nuclear weapons.

Mr Corry says those who demonstrate proper control.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay intervenes to ask if proper control means "ones that go in the correct direction."

Mr Corry says everything needs to be tested to make sure it works correctly and in that particular case it self destructed which meant it worked correctly.

In July, all but one of Scotland's 59 MPs has voted against renewing the Trident nuclear weapons programme in the Commons.

MPs backed the renewal of the UK's nuclear weapons system, voting 472 to 117 in favour in Parliament.

The SNP's 54 members opposed renewal, as did Labour's Ian Murray, Lib Dem Alistair Carmichael and independent MPs Michelle Thomson and Natalie McGarry.

But Conservative MP David Mundell backed the renewal proposals.

Image source, bbc

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says she was pleased to take part in the launch of the Jimmy Reid Foundation 

Ms Johnstone says the Scottish Parliament has voted for a constitutional ban off Trident.

The Green MSP says it is an abomination to even consider using such weapons.

She says the moral and philosophical case in the Jimmy Reid report makes it clear the democratic will of the Scottish people is being ignored.

Theresa May says she has "absolute faith" in the UK's nuclear weapons system despite reports that an unarmed missile went off course during a test.

The Sunday Times , externalsays the missile, fired in June, veered off course, weeks before a crucial Commons vote on Trident's future.

When questioned by the BBC, Mrs May repeatedly refused to say if she knew about the misfire ahead of the vote.

Nicola Sturgeon said it was a "hugely serious issue".

SNP MSP Mairi Evans says nuclear weapons are abhorrent and there is no justification for their use. 

Ms Evans says morally we cannot accept the renewal of Trident, nor should we accept weapons being stored on our doorstep.

The SNP MSP says the money spent on Trident could be better spent but when it comes to war money can always be found.

She says nuclear weapons do not stop terrorist attacks and have never stopped wars.

Image source, PA

What is Trident?

Since 1969, according to government documents, external, a British submarine carrying nuclear weapons has always been on patrol, gliding silently beneath the waves, somewhere in the world's oceans.

The logic is to deter a nuclear attack on the UK because, even if the nation's conventional defence capabilities were destroyed, the silent submarine would still be able to launch a catastrophic retaliatory strike on the aggressor, a concept known as mutually assured destruction.

The submarines carry up to eight Trident missiles. Each can be fitted with a number of warheads, which can be directed at different targets.

Read more here.