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MSPs will shortly debate the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill at stage 1.

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When we return MSPs will debate the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill.

MSPs will then vote on the general principles of the Bill.

It all begins at 2:30pm. See you then.

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Veterans' Minister Keith Brown says the Scottish government has invested over £350m to mitigate welfare reforms and addresspoverty.

Mr Brown says the MOD could ensure the records of someone leaving the armed forces go directly to a GP.

The veteran's minister says the MOD have an ongoing responsibility to those they have recruited from areas of deprivation, when they leave the armed forces.

He says the government will look further into the deprivation the veterans suffer in Scotland.

That concludes this member's debate.

Veterans' Minister Keith Brown says the Scottish government has worked tirelessly to support veterans in this country.

Mr Brown says there is a small but very important group of veterans who struggle to adjust to life following their service.

The economy secretary says he accepts that more can be done and there are veterans that are struggling to make ends meet.

He says decisions that the UK government are making, which are driving people into deprivation, are having an impact.

Scottish Conservative MSP Peter Chapman says it is worrying that so many of our service personnel find life so difficult coming out of the forces.

Mr Chapman says one of the most disturbing findings in the Combat Stress report was that it took 11 years for veterans to seek help.

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The Tory MSP says the majority of the folk in the survey had served in the army who are more likely to be in the frontline and suffer the horrors of war.

He says Combat Stress highlight the significant challenges that Scottish veterans face, in contrast with those in Northern Ireland.

People who have served in the armed forces in the past 50 years are not at greater risk of suicide than those who have not, according to a new study.

However, there is an increased risk in certain groups, the University of Glasgow research found.

Overall, veterans were at no greater risk than the general public, whilst both Falklands and Gulf War veterans had a lower risk of suicide.

The team studied veterans in Scotland who served between 1960 and 2012.

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The study compared suicide risk among 56,205 veterans born between 1945 and 1985 with 172,741 matched non-veterans.

While overall there was no significant difference in the figures for veterans and non-veterans, the risk increased for:

• Older veterans, particularly those aged in their 40s and 50s.

• Women who joined the armed forces before 1992

• People who left service early

Young veterans were not found to be at increased risk - a finding at odds with an earlier study by the Centre for Suicide Prevention which suggested that ex-servicemen under the age of 24 had a much higher rate of suicide.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead says the themes identified in this report are very important and should be debated.

Mr Lochhead says there is more awareness around the issue of mental health issues of veterans.

The SNP MSP says it is concerning that, in a survey of 3,000, veterans living in Scotland are more susceptible to living in areas of deprivation.

Mr Lochhead says the report also says early service leavers are three times more likely to take their own lives.

He says this is very serious and must be delved into.

He says the services must be available and veterans must know they are available.

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A group of organisations, led by the charity Poppyscotland, has been awarded £4m to help support older veterans and their families.

Unforgotten Forces, a collaboration of 14 different bodies, applied for funding from the UK Treasury's Aged Veterans Fund.

Grants come from money gathered from UK banks in Libor fines.

The three-year funding programme is also boosted by input from financial services company Standard Life.

Read more here.

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Labour MSP Johann Lamont recalls when she was veterans minister and says all MSPs want to rise to the challenge to support veterans.

Ms Lamont says there needs to be general understanding and specific provision.

She says all MSPs must reflect on the evidence in the Combat Stress report and elsewhere to rise to the challenges they pose

The job of government is to look at the evidence, listen to the voices and act she says.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain says he was a soldier and his son is a current soldier.

Mr Mountain says in the past 12 years, soldiers have spent more time on the front line than ever before.

The Tory MSP says the report was surprising but very helpful and it is "immensely sad" that veterans wait so long to seek help.

He says it is clear that a national treatment plan must be offered and that "we must make sure that our veterans, who are most vulnerable, do not fall between the cracks."

A project set up seven years ago to help ex-service personnel struggling with life outside the forces has reached a milestone, offering support to 10,000 veterans across Scotland.

The Armed Service Advice Project says it has helped its clients gain more than £8m in benefits, wages and compensation payments.

But it says there are many more ex military suffering in silence. We spoke to Brian Nicholls who served in the Royal Navy for 18 years.

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SNP MSP Maree Todd says it has been great to hear the work Combat Stress does to help veterans with their mental health.

Ms Todd says she cannot support the motion as the sample was too small and is not fully represenative.

She says conclusions cannot be drawn about the causality and she says one must be very careful in drawing comparisons with other parts of the UK, as Scotland was over-represented.

Ms Todd says many veterans are pushed into crisis because of UK government policies.

Mr Corry says it is up to the Scottish government to watch with stakeholders to ensure the support for veterans is in place.

The Tory MSP says an issue raised in the Combat Stress report is that is takes veterans and average of 11 years to seek help for mental health issues.

Keith brown intervenes to ask if Tory MSP Maurice Corry recognises the adverse effects of benefit and welfare cuts by the UK government on veterans.

Mr Corry says he understands the point but that he believes that more can be done in Scotland.

Research has found strong links between mental health issues among ex-service personnel and high levels of deprivation.

The study by Combat Stress found Scottish veterans were at a higher risk of deprivation than those in other parts of the UK.

On average, it takes 11 years for a person to seek help for mental health issues after leaving the military.

Andy Smith, the charity's regional operations manager in Scotland, says more veterans are coming forward to ask for help due to better education on the issue and increased access to services.

Tory MSP Maurce Corry welcomes Combat Stress to the gallery and commends the work that they do.

Mr Corry says he is a veteran himself and says that veterans should get the recognition and support they deserve.

He says Combat Stress was founded in 1919 and has been supporting veterans since.

Mr Corry says the organisation is helping to get rid of the stigma attached to mental health.

Image source, Combat Stress

Taken from the Combat Stress website, external:

"Combat Stress is the UK's leading veterans' mental health charity. We treat a range of mental health conditions including PTSD, depression and anxiety.

"Mental health issues can affect ex-servicemen and women of all ages. Right now, we have more than 6,000 veterans registered with us for support. We're a vital lifeline for these veterans, and their families."

Image source, Combat Stress

Tory MSP Maurice Corry uses his motion to highlight the research paper, Multiple deprivation in help-seeking UK veterans, external, published by Combat Stress.

Mr Corry says the paper found that ex-servicemen and women, receiving help from the charity in Scotland, face higher levels of deprivation than those living in the rest of the UK.

The Tory MSP says that the report surveyed of over 3,000 veterans registered with Combat Stress from across the UK.

He says the paper found that veterans in Scotland face the greatest risk of deprivation, in both levels of income and employment.

Mr Corry says that the report also found that half of veterans in Scotland who are registered with Combat Stress live in the most deprived three areas of Scotland.

He thanks Combat Stress for collecting the information which illustrates the work that still needs to be done to support the veterans community in Scotland.

Here is Tory MSP Maurice Corry's motion.

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Labour MSP Anas Sarwar raises a point of order to say that the first minister said that the figures on patients being seen have shown a rise but that the figures on patients seen show a decline.

He asks Ms Sturgeon to correct the record.

Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh says all members have a duty to be accurate and the member can pursue this by tabling a question, adding it is not a point of order.