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SNP MSP Ash Denham says Scotland chose to remain by a 24 point margin and she says the proposals from the Scottish government in Scotland's Place in Europe were ignored by Westminster.

Ms Denham says giving people a choice on their future is standing up for the will of the Scottish people.

She says Labour are complicit in an effort to deny the Scottish people their mandated choice.

The SNP MSP says Theresa May failed to move an inch on the government's proposals.

Tory MSP Douglas Ross says his Moray constituents returned a "no" vote by 58% in the 2014 independence referendum and he was relieved.

Mr Ross says he has already mentioned Moray more than the SNP MSP for that constituency did in their entire seven minute speech.

The Tory MSP asks why the first minister will not answer any questions on currency, instead saying it will be made clear in time. 

Mr Ross says the SNP have had more positions on Europe this week than the Scottish Greens have had u-turns.

"The SNP's priorities are more important than Scotland's priorities," he says. 

"Get back to the day job," he adds. 

What is a Section 30 order?

The power to call a referendum is reserved to Westminster.  Section 30 of the 1998 Scotland Act, external  is the mechanism by which Holyrood can legislate on reserved areas.

For the 2014 vote, David Cameron and Alex Salmond, the then-leaders of the UK and Scottish governments,  signed the Edinburgh Agreement  to give Holyrood the power to call the referendum.

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Nicola Sturgeon - also a signatory of the Edinburgh Agreement, as deputy first minister - wants to get a similar deal from the current PM, Mrs May.

Her first step will be to ask MSPs for their backing over this. The Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems have all indicated they will vote against Ms Sturgeon's proposals, but crucially the Greens will back her. If all voting MSPs turn up, that will give the first minister a majority of 69 to 59.

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SNP MSP Ruth Maguire says before things speed towards a hard Brexit cliff edge Scotland must have the choice for a hard better and safer future.

Ms Maguire says the people of Scotland should not now be denied that choice.

She says she believes political parties should honour their manifesto commitments.

Ms Maguire says the SNP will deliver on its manifesto commitment.

She says political differences are healthy and normal and should be celebrated and not feared.

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Scottish Conservative MSP John Lamont says last week Nicola Sturgeon gave up any pretence of being the first minister of the whole of Scotland.

Mr Lamont says the tempatation to have another go at breaking up the UK was too much

He says last week Scotland lost its government but gained a pressure group.

Mr Lamont says Scots clearly do not want to return to the division of the past.

He says the SNP are supported by the Greens, who in their manifesto said if a second referendum should happen it should be by the will of the people, not be driven by calculations of party political advantage.

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans to seek a second Scottish independence referendum in 2018 or 2019 - but Theresa May has said "now is not the time".   

On Monday, 13 March, Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to hold  a second Scottish independence referendum .

She used a press conference at her Bute House residence in Edinburgh to announce plans to seek a Section 30 order for a new vote on the issue, having repeatedly said a referendum was "highly likely" since the Brexit vote in 2016.

The first minister said a referendum is needed to protect Scottish interests in light of Brexit - she said Scottish voters must be offered an "informed choice" between the path the UK government is taking, and independence.

But by Thursday, 16 March, Prime Minister Theresa May has said  "now is not the time"  for a referendum, saying all attention should be on the Brexit negotiations in the coming years.

Scottish Greens MSP John Finnie says it is "extremely unfortunate" that there was a failure to engage with the Scottish government on access to the single market. 

Mr Finnie says for friends and citizens of the EU currently living in the UK it means a loss of the freedom of movement. 

The Greens MSP says they are being used as "bargaining chips".

He says there are already implications with the loss of research funding and the loss of researchers. 

"This will have implications for climate change and disease," he says.

Mr Finnie says it would be very disappointing if the UK has played its part in the fragmentation of the EU. 

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead says "many of us wish Mr Sarwar spent more time opposing the Conservative party".

Mr Lochhead says "no one expected we'd be having a debate another independence referendum" but it is justified because the UK government are taking the UK out of the EU and the single market.

The SNP MSP says the prime minister has not listened to Scotland. 

"Scotland is at a crossroads," he says,

Mr Lochhead says support for Scottish independence has doubled in the last four years. 

He says all the citizens of Scotland deserve another say in Scotland's future. 

"Brexit is the most profound illustration yet of why we must take control of our own future," he says.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar says it is SNP policy that a generation means four years.

Mr Sarwar says the first minister has not stood up for Scotland's interests, but is standing up for her own interests and that of the SNP.

The Labour MSP asks why did Ms Sturgeon not respet the will of the parliament on votes on local NHS services, on the football act, fracking, the Scottish Funding Council on on HIE.

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He says Mr Sarwar says the Greens pu theyes alliance first and Scotland second.

Mr Sarwar says: "Patrick Harvie is nationalist first and an environmentalist second."

Mr Harvie says the Labour party bears some responsibility with the lacklustre remain campaign from Jeremy Corbyn and handed the UK government a " blank cheque Brexit".

Mr Sarwar says Nicola Sturgeon spent the campaign attacking the remain campaign.

SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth says the eyes of the nation and the world are on Scotland right now and "we don't all agree on Scotland's constitutional future". 

"It is hardly a secret we are the Scottish National Party after all," she says. 

The SNP MSP says today's debate matters to the children of Scotland and their future. 

Tory MSP Oliver Mundell intervenes to ask if the schools Ms Gilruth refers to have enough teachers.

Ms Gilruth says she will take no lessons in education from a Conservative considering the UK government's record on education.  

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What brought this on?

Scotland voted against independence by 55% to 45% in 2014.

But then Scottish voters backed Remain in the EU referendum by 62% to 38% - while the rest of the UK voted to leave. Ms Sturgeon sees this as creating a "democratic deficit" which must be settled.

The SNP campaigned in the 2016 Holyrood elections saying that a "material change" in Scotland's circumstances - highlighting specifically the idea of being taken out of the EU - would be a sound reason for a second referendum. While they did not secure a majority, that manifesto won the SNP by far the largest number of votes.

With Article 50, the formal start of the Brexit process, set to be triggered shortly, Ms Sturgeon said the time is now right to set out a choice to Scotland's voters.

However, the UK government disagrees.

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Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins says secession progresses with agreement in the UK.

He says the last referendum had to follow rules agreed by the two governments and the timing was also agreed between them.

Mr Tomkins says the prime minister of the UK was absolutely right to rule out an independence referendum.

Ms Sturgeon intervenes and says she is willing to discuss a timetable with the UK government, but says the question is will the UK government do so.

Mr Tomkins the first minister wants to set the timing at Holyrood rather than by agreement.

He says: "They are clueless on the currency, at sea on Schengen, in denial about the deficit and bewildered by the border."