Image source, RTE

The Irish prime minister has said the UK government plans to suggest a new wording for a Brexit deal on the Irish border within the next 24 hours.

Leo Varadkar told a news conference he had spoken by phone to British PM Theresa May on Wednesday.

"She wants to come back to us with some text tonight and tomorrow," he said.

On Monday, the UK and EU failed to strike a deal in Brexit talks when the DUP objected to the wording of a text on the future operation of the border.

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Labour MSP Elaine Smith welcomes the government's commitment to help thyroid sufferers.

Ms Smith asks for confirmation that GPs will continue to prescribe the "life saving" T3.

Health Secretary Shona Robison says: "There are no plans to remove T3 from NHS Scotland."

Image source, Burger/Phanie

Hypothyroidism - or an underactive thyroid - affects one in 70 women and one in 1,000 men according to the NHS. But it can be a tricky disease to diagnose and treat.

Dr Michael Mosley, of Trust Me I'm a Doctor, asks if sufferers are slipping through the net.

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Finance Secretary Derek Mackay says they "will ensure every new build property will not pay a penny in rates until it is occupied".

Mr Lindhurst asks for estimates of business going to the wall as they wait for appeal.

Mr Mackay says the Conservatives are "totally ignorant on the facts when it comes to non-domestic business rates".

Image source, Thinkstock

Leisure and cultural venues currently run by council arm's-length bodies will continue to benefit from charity relief from non-domestic rates.

The Scottish government said it would not be accepting the recommendation of the Barclay Review, external to end the benefit.

Concerns were raised that taking the exemption away would lead to closures or increased fees.

Ministers said they would seek to implement most of the report's 30 recommendations.

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Transport Minister Humza Yousaf says they will have a particular focus on access to the ports at Cairnryan.

Asked about substantial investment, he says: "We've invested £50m and six new schemes" before attacking the Conservatives for asking the government to spend more while cutting the budget and "making a pigs ear of Brexit".

Image source, PA/Scottish Parliament

We'll bring you extensive coverage of first minister's questions from 12pm.

Roseanna McPhee asks: "How many Travellers are employed?

"If people are not working they are isolated. Work has to be a key priority."

Convener Christina McKelvie wraps up the evidence session, but says: "It is clear our work on this is not done."

The committee will now go into private session.

Image source, UK Parliament

Davie Donaldson says he has heard some horrendous stuff from teachers and he says you don't get more nice the higher you go, he says "we seen that with Douglas Ross".

Mr Donaldson says his mum was told the teacher told another mother why should she waste her time on him as he was just a Gypsy.

He says another teacher told the bairns that the "Pikey's had moved in" and another said "they are all scum".

Mr Donaldson says nothing happened with his report on this and "if it happened to any other ethnic minority there would be absolute uproar".

He says there is not the level of respect there in schools and going would be detrimental to traveller children.

Conservative MSP Jamie Greene says he is "hopeful this committee will make positive steps", but asks the panel: "How do you feel about it?

"Realistically what can this committee achieve?"

Shamus McPhee says: "Attempt to tackle the popular view that we are a bunch of parasites.

"Embrace European recommendations that there should be activation in terms of employment.

"We've been a resource to the Scottish economy for centuries, then all of a sudden we're frozen out.

"It's like Hungary where there's almost a 100% unemployment of Roma."

Davie Donaldson says: "A lot of Travellers do trades that they can take with them. These trades are taught by fathers to their sons, they wouldn't think about going to college or doing an apprenticeship.

"But there are so many issues with it, so they might learn mistakes from their dads, there is shoddy workmanship, but we get tarred with the brush from that one shoddy person, but they're not doing it on purpose, they're missing the education."

He talks about accessing education. He says: "Teachers don't have the first clue about the culture."

In 2011 Two Traveller families shared their life on the road - they allow the camera to document their experiences over a 9 month period: good times, such as baby's first steps, and not so good times, as they are moved on by the police.

Shamius McPhee says: "It's like the enlightenment never happened with Gypsy/Travellers."

Roseanna McPhee tells how she had a complaint upheld by the broadcasting standards commission over a local radio station.

Image source, bbc

In March 2013 we reported that many Gypsy-Travellers in Scotland were still living in horrendous conditions and continue to suffer discrimination.

Holyrood's then Equal Opportunities committee said they also had problems finding jobs and accessing services like healthcare.

MSPs on the cross-party committee called for a zero-tolerance government campaign to tackle the problem.

Ministers said they would respond to the report in due course.

The committee published its findings in a new report, external, after MSPs visited traveller sites in in Edinburgh, Dalkeith, Perth, Pitlochry, Oban and Lochgilphead.

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From the Iriss website, external:

"Our approach

Our Theory of Change, external documents our three approaches:

• We inform - create conditions for effective information sharing
• We translate and facilitate - support individuals and groups to make use of evidence
• We co-create - work with communities to test out ideas and create conditions for embedding change

Who we work with

Our ethos is collaboration and we are committed to working in partnership with other agencies involved in care and support and with service users and carers."

Image source, Iriss

"Our engagement

Effective engagement with the social services workforce helps to ground our focus, plans and strategies in the realities of practice. It helps to ensure what we produce is relevant and accessible. It can teach us how we can best support the workforce and can provide inspiration for our existing and new business plans.

Our engagement is:

• Open, adaptable and responsive
• Supportive
• Encourages co-production"

Image source, http://www.un.org/

Human Rights Day 2017 will be on 10 December.

The universal declaration of human rights will be 70 this year.

Read more here, external