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SNP MSP Gillian Martin tells an anecdote about a managing director with a company she worked at 20 years ago who was won over by the benefits of flexible working, following a six month pilot.

Ms Martin says: "Flexible workers are more unlikely to call in sick."

The SNP MSP says her offices in parliament and in her constituency have flexible working.

Ms Maguire says many employers have already discovered the benefits of fair flexible working patterns.

The SNP MSP highlights a call centre in her constituency which pays the real living wage and does not use "exploitative" zero hour contracts.

She says this employer offers flexible working patterns.

Ms Magure says there is so much potential of flexible working "all we have to do is seize it."

SNP MSP Ruth Maguire says Family Friendly Working Scotland were involved in the report cited in her motion.

Ms Maguire says this is a groundbreaking report which sets out how demand for flexible working outstrips supply.

The SNP MSP says there is a current bottle neck particularly for women who often need flexibility and cannot get part time hours.

She says more flexible working conditions would help with a more inclusive Scotland.

Reevel Alderson
BBC Scotland Home Affairs correspondent

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Companies who do not offer employees flexible working fail to recruit and retain the best talent, a report has said., external

Demand for flexible jobs massively outstrips supply, according to recruitment agency Timewise.

The Scottish government said flexible working boosts productivity and is good for workers.

The report said 11.9% of jobs are advertised as flexible, while 34% of jobless Scots sought flexible work.

The data - the Flexible Jobs Index (FJI) - came from analysis carried out by Timewise of more than 230,000 job adverts.

It is the first report of its kind looking specifically at the jobs market in Scotland.

Read more here.

Here is SNP MSP Ruth Maguire's motion.

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Mr Wheelhouse says employee owned businesses are unlike others in their commitment to communities and governance.

The business minister says the government remain committed to supporting businesses with this business model.

That ends this debate. We'll be back at 14:30.

Business Minister Paul Wheelhouse says the government supports cooperative business models.

Mr Wheelhouse says he supports this motion and that Scotland has a proud heritage of cooperatives.

The business minister says cooperation is now a world wide movement that Scotland can claim to be the birthplace of.

He says there are opportunities to work with foreign direct investors.

SNP MSP John Mason says worker owned businesses generally outperform their competitors and are considered more trustworthy.

Mr Mason says Page \ Park Architects are in his constituency and are owned by their 40 employees.

He says everyone knows everyone else's salary and it is completely transparent.

Green MSP Andy Wightman says it is encouraging that the number of employees owned businesses are growing across the UK.

Mr Wightman says, in many cases, employee ownership presents the most sustainable future for businesses.

Tory MSP Dean Lockhart says his views on wider economic opportunities differ slightly from Mr Leonard's but that he supports the motion.

Mr Lockhart says employee motivation and higher productivity levels are benefits of this business model.

The Tory MSP says employee owned businesses tend to have better engagement with the local community.

Mr Leonard says French laws allows employees to buy a company if it is to be sold off.

"Why can't we have a worker's right to buy business," he says.

The Labour MSP says if democracy is good in government then it is good in industry also.

He says it would be a message of hope and change and this is what this parliament is expected to deliver.

Labour MSP Richard Leonard says today we face a state of affairs where we are witnessing a centralisation of power.

"Too much power in too few hands," he says.

Mr Leonard says economic ownership matters because with economic ownership comes economic power.

The Labour MSP says it is time to put different ownership structures in place.

He says it is time to promote employee ownership in the Scottish economy.

Here is Labour MSP Richard Leonard's motion.

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SNP MSP James Dornan asks for confirmation that anyone getting a bus pass before the changes will retain the pass.

The first minister says there are thousands of people across Scotland who are benefiting from this scheme.

Ms Sturgeon says eveyone with a pass will keep it and apprentices will be added to the list

She says the Tories are only interested in tax cuts for the rich and the Labour party only wants to fight amongst themselves.

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A war of words has erupted at the top of Scottish Labour over claims of a "plot" to undermine former leader Kezia Dugdale.

Ms Dugdale told the BBC there had been a "lot of internal problems" in the party ahead of her sudden resignation.

Her allies have claimed there was a "plot" against her after interim leader Alex Rowley was caught on tape backing leadership candidate Richard Leonard.

The row unfolded as Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the Labour conference in Brighton.

During his speech, Mr Corbyn said that Labour was "on the way back in Scotland", and thanked Ms Dugdale for her work.

The dispute, which has involved several of the party's most prominent MSPs, has been thrown into the spotlight by the contest between Mr Leonard and Anas Sarwar to succeed Ms Dugdale as Scottish Labour leader.

Read more here.

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The age at which Scots qualify for a free bus pass could be set to rise.

In January Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said the Scottish government would hold a consultation on changes to the national concession travel scheme.

He wants to extend it to Modern Apprentices and those on Job Grants and said people who already had passes would retain them.

But he said ministers had to look at the "long-term sustainability" of offering all those over 60 free travel.

The Scotland-wide free bus pass entitlement scheme was introduced in 2006.

The card allows passengers, aged over 60 or disabled, to travel free on local, registered or scheduled long-distance services.

The transport minister has said a public consultation on changes to the current system will be held.

Read more here.

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Labour MSP Richard Leonard asks whether the Scottish government will give a commitment in the week of International Day of Older Persons that eligibility criteria for the national concessionary travel scheme will not change during the current parliamentary session.

Ms Sturgeon says the current consultation is just that and whatever the outcome those with concessionary bus pass won't have it taken away and indeed more will get one.

Mr Leonard calls on the first minister not to raise the qualifying age and no other barriers to those 60 and over accessing the scheme.

The first minister says the government values the bus pass scheme.

She says: "We fight for Scotland, Scottish Labour just fight amongs themselves."

Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh reminds the first minister that the question was on the bus pass scheme.