Tory MSP Murdo Fraser raises a point of order in relation first minister's questions and says as the Scottish Green Party is now a "wholly owned subsidiary of the SNP", should they get a question allocated.

Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh says that is a political point not a point of order.

Image source, Electoral Commission

In multi-member wards the layout of the  local election ballot paper in the STV system, which lists candidates alphabetically, can have an interesting knock-on effect.

Many people vote along party-political lines. And because candidates are listed alphabetically, where two from the same party run in the same ward, they usually end up being ranked in that same alphabetical order by voters.

Basically, voters often end up giving their first preference vote to the first candidate they spot from their party of choice, and their second preference to the next one.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asks the first minister, in light of the local government elections, whether the Scottish government will act to randomise the ordering of candidates by surname on ballot papers at future elections.

The first minister says as her surname starts with an "S" she can see the attraction in Mr Gibson's proposal.

Ms Sturgeon says randomised ordering of candidates is a change that is subject to consideration.

Mr Gibson says this must be addressed or the crediibility of the Single Transfferable Vote is at stake.

The first minister says, again, that the issue will be looked at across civic Scotland.

Labour MSP Pauline McNeill asks what the Scottish government is doing to better resource planning authorities, in light of an increase in planning fees for major applications from 1 June 2017. 

The first minister says fees and performance go hand-in-hand.

Ms McNeill says organisations such as Homes for Scotland want to see an improvement in performance for these fees.

She calls for an improvement in waiting times.

The first minister says the maximum fee only accounts for major applications.

Ms Sturgeon says the fee increase is about improving performance.

Conservative MSP Alison Harris asks whether the Scottish government has had discussions with SEPA to encourage it to have staff based in Grangemouth on a regular basis.  

Ms Sturgeon says SEPA has now agreed to consider the benefits and cost of a Grangemouth site.

Image source, Getty Images

The Scottish government unveiled its strategy on mental health in March, committing to spend more than £300m to tackle it in the next five years.

Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt said her ambition was for mental and physical illnesses to achieve "parity of esteem" in the way they are treated.

Ms Watt told MSPs she would work hard to tackle poverty as the "biggest driver" of poor mental health.

There are 40 actions in the Scottish government's new strategy.

SNP MSP Clare Haughey asks how the Scottish government is marking Mental Health Awareness Week. 

The first minister says she welcomes the opportunity to highlight Mental Health Awareness Week and address stigma.

Ms Sturgeon highlights the new Mental Health Strategy.

Ms Haughey says the commitment on perinatal mental health is crucial.

The first minister says progress is being made..

Image source, Thinkstock

A second strike in Scotland's further education colleges is going ahead after fresh talks failed to settle the dispute.

Members of the EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association said no progress had been made to even out pay differences.

But Colleges Scotland said pay could not be separated from issues such as holiday entitlement.

The union wants the Scottish government to help to settle the dispute.

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant raises the issues of college lecturers being on strike and asks when the first minister will intervene.

Ms Sturgeon says she wants to see this dispute settled and says there is now a position of national bargaining.

The first minister says talks are continuing and she calls on both sides to go the extra mile, particularly the employers.

She says if the government has to intervene that would be the failure of national bargaining.

RSPB Scotland has called for an urgent meeting with prosecutors after proceedings against a former gamekeeper charged with illegally killing a bird of prey in Moray were dropped.

The charity said their camera recorded evidence indicating the hen harrier was shot at Cabrach in June 2013.

Stanley Gordon denied illegally killing the bird of prey.

The Crown Office said it had been concluded that the evidence would not be admissible in court.

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead raises the issue of the decision by the Crown Office to drop the case of an alleged illegal killing of a hen harrier.

Ms Sturgeon says decisions about the prosecution of crimes are for the Crown Office, but she says it is important that wildlife crime is taken very seriously.

Eastern European crime gangs are repeatedly forcing trafficked women into sexual exploitation and sham marriages, a BBC investigation found.

The programme, Humans for Sale, found one Slovakian girl who had been trafficked to Glasgow three times.

Many of the women were forced into sham marriages with men, mainly from Pakistan, who were seeking to apply for residency in the UK.

The women, who are EU citizens, are lured to the UK with false promises.

Tory MSP Annie Wells says last night BBC Scotland broadcast a "shocking documentary" on the human trafficking trade.

Ms Wells asks what the government will do to clamp down on this "evil trade".

Ms Sturgeon says this is a "terrible crime" and it is important to take robust steps to tackle it. 

Mr Rennie says the pupil he mentions could be part of a "lost generation".

He says SNP ministers rejected a pupil premium and rejected a penny on income tax for education.

The Scottish Lib Dem leader asks why the mother and her son should ever trust the SNP again.

Ms Sturgeon says it does young people a disservice to use language like a "lost generation", which she says is disgraceful.

The first minister says there is money in the hands of headteachers right now to help children like the pupil mentioned by Mr Rennie.

The Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy (SSLN) is an annual sample survey which monitors national performance of school children at P4, P7 and S2 in literacy and numeracy in alternate years.

The 2016 survey, the results of which were published on Tuesday morning, focused on literacy and involved about 10,000 pupils in 2,250 schools.

Image source, SSLN

It found that in writing:

• 49% of S2 pupils performed very well or well in writing last year, compared with 55% in 2014 and 64% in 2012.
• There has been a seven point drop in P7 pupils who can write well or very well, from 72% to 65%, since 2012
• The writing performance of P4 pupils is now two points lower than in 2014 and 2012, at 62%

While in reading:

• Performance of P4 and P7 pupils was high
• But the number performing well or very well in P4 dropped from 83% to 77% between 2012 and 2016
• P7 and S2 performance in reading in 2016 is also two points lower than in 2012, at 88% and 82% respectively
• S2 performance in reading was two points higher than the 80% recorded in 2014

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie raises the poor statistics in education.

Ms Rennie says the mother of a 15-year-old told him she was worried he could be a statistic and said she was angry with the SNP after 10 years in power.

The first minister reiterates how seriously she takes the challenges in education.

Ms Sturgeon says it is likely the headteacher of the school the pupil goes to has additional resources to address attainment.