Labour MSP Colin Smyth will now lead this afternoon's member's debate on snaring.

Here is Mr Smyth's motion.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Image source, Getty Images

Scottish retailers have expressed concern after figures showed the highest number of empty shops in nearly two years.

A Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) report indicated that Scotland's shop vacancy rate rose from 9% in January to 9.2% last month.

The rate remained slightly lower than the UK average.

But SRC described April's figure as a "modest but nonetheless worrying increase".

Tory MSP Alexander Stewart asks what action the Scottish government is taking in response to the Scottish Retail Consortium report indicating that the shop vacancy rate rose in the period from January to April 2017.

The first minister says 100,000 properties have been lifted out of business rates altogether and says relief has been provided for two-thirds of properties.

Mr Stewart says shop vacancies are up and the Scottish government is failing on the economy.

Ms Sturgeon says the Scottish Retail Consortium says footfall has grown and is the third fastest in the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier this week the Evening Times reported, external:

"Four homeless, external people a month are dying in Glasgow, external."

Figures obtained by the Sunday Herald, external from Glasgow City Council, external via freedom of information request reveal that at least 39 homeless people have died in Glasgow in the space of just 10 months.

The deaths occurred between May 2016 and March 2017. Details of the number of deaths in other major Scottish cities are currently unavailable."

Labour MSP Pauline McNeill says calls for a review of the strategy on rough sleeping and homelessness.

The first minister says the statistics on rough sleeping show a steady state over the past three years.

The first minister says practical actions are being taken in Glasgow to address homelessness.

Conservative MSP Annie Wells calls for a new homelessness strategy.

Ms Sturgeon says the government will continue to work with organisations like Shelter to make sure the right strategies and actions are in place.

She asks the Tories to tell their bosses in London to stop penalising the poor.

In January we reported that the Scottish government planned to use its new social security powers for the first time to increase the frequency of Universal Credit payments.

Universal Credit itself remains reserved, but ministers said they would use new powers to give claimants the option to be paid fortnightly instead of monthly.

The government also planned to offer to pay housing benefits direct to landlords rather than via claimants.

Opposition MSPs welcomed the move, but said the government should do more.

Holyrood is taking on a series of newly-devolved welfare powers, from personal independence payments to carer's allowances.

A new social security agency is being set up and a Social Security Bill is set to be introduced this year.

• Timetable for welfare powers devolution
• Angela Constance answers your questions on social security

SNP MSP Sandra White asks what action the Scottish government is taking to tackle homelessness in Glasgow and across the country.

Ms Sturgeon says homeless people in Scotland have some of the strongest rights in the world.

The first minister says there is more to do to help people rough sleeping and she points to good practice in Housing First in Glasgow.

Ms White says it is unacceptable anyone should be dying on the streets of Scotland due to homelessness.

She says welfare reform is making homelessness worse.

The first minister says she hopes the new Glasgow City Council administration will address the issue of homeless people dying due to rough sleeping.

She says the experience of areas like Inverness, where Universal Credit has been fully rolled out, should "send shivers down your spine".

The first minister says the roll out of Universal Credit should be halted.

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald says, given the actions of the Labour council group in Aberdeen, does the first minister agree that "if you vote Labour you'll get Tory"?

Ms Sturgeon says that seems to be the case and it will give voters something to think about.

The first minister says this "won't magically be waved away".

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar says Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev is in the parliament and he asks for a message that the illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza must end to be sent by the Scottish government.

The first minister says the External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop will meet the ambassador and give a very strong message on justice for Palestine and Palestinian issues.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie asks why it took so long to get around to a mental health strategy.

Ms Sturgeon says Willie Rennie is completely mischaracterising the Scottish government's position on this.

The first minister says the CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) workforce has increase by just under 50% under the SNP.

She says the government's committment is there and evidenced in the action that is being taken.

The first minister says the mental health strategy details actions to address children's mental health.

Image source, Getty Images

In March we reported that more than 100 children who began receiving specialist mental health care in the last three months of 2016 had waited more than a year to get help.

NHS Scotland figures, external showed that 4,222 patients started treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) over the period.

Of these, 101 had waited 53 weeks or more for their specialist help.

Only 16 patients had to wait more than a year in the last quarter of 2015, the statistics showed.

Image source, BB

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says children in Lothian had to wait 666 days to get important mental health treatment and asks why waiting times are so bad.

The first minister says there are long waits in mental health that are unacceptable but they are bringing the waiting times down.

Ms Sturgeon says the demand for mental health services have vastly increased due to decreased stigma.

Mr Harvie calls for more clarity on the law and fox hunting in Scotland.

The Scottish Greens co-convener calls for a complete ban of "brutal and barabaric fox hunting" to be considered.

The first minister says the exemptions of the current law were debated in the first Scottish Parliament.

Ms Sturgeon says whether the law needs to be tightened is being looked at.

She says: "Be under no doubt at all, this government opposes fox hunting."

Theresa May has indicated she will allow Conservative MPs a free vote on whether to bring back fox hunting.

The UK prime minister, who says she has always been in favour of fox hunting, said it was up to Parliament to take the decision.

Tony Blair's Labour government introduced the Hunting Act, which bans the use of dogs to hunt foxes and wild mammals in England and Wales, in 2004.

Tory Sir Roger Gale, seeking re-election in North Thanet, said many young party members were anti-hunting.

Read more here.

Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie says the prime minister has declared she always supports fox hunting and the manifesto today confirms that.

Mr Harvie asks if the first minister agrees fox hunting should be banned.

The first minister says it says a lot about Theresa May's priorities when they commit to giving parliament a free vote on fox hunting but tried to avoid a Brexit vote at Westminster.

Ms Sturgeon says the Scottish goverrnment is committed to looking at loopholes in the law.

She says: "I have always been an opponent of fox hunting and I remain an opponent of fox hunting."

SNP MSP Gil Paterson says his constituent Dr Parsons, a Glasgow University lecturer, is about to be deported and calls on the first minister to intervene.

The first minister says this case "seems to illustrate the complete wrong-headedness of the UK government's approach to immigration".

Ms Sturgeon says this sums up the fact the UK government is pursuing an immigration policy that is damaging to the country as the Tories "morph into UKIP".

Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald says NHS Grampian can no longer guarantee surgery within 30 weeks.

The first minister says the government is clear with all health boards that patients waiting for surgery must be seen as quickly as possible.

She says the government is working with NHS Grampian towards further investment.