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The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee leads a debate the Article 50 withdrawal process.

Lib Dems MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says icy weather and a rise in flu cases are not the causes of poor waiting times.

He says the health service is "on its knees" and blames under-funding.

Ms Robison says the Scottish government has put in additional resources to cope with a colder winter.

Scotland's A&E departments had a higher resilience this winter than others throughout the UK, she suggests.

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The first minister has apologised to patients who have faced delays for treatment as a result of winter strain on the health service.

Nicola Sturgeon said NHS Scotland was facing "exceptional" pressures but coping despite difficult circumstances.

Latest figures showed the number of people suffering from flu had more than doubled compared with last year.

Opposition parties criticised the Scottish government saying these challenging pressure were not unforeseen.

Read more here.

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Green MSP John Finnie asks if the health secretary recognises the benefits of more money for social care and gritting of the roads.

Ms Robison says Mr Finnie makes an important point on the issue of falls and fractures and the pressures they put on the NHS.

She says the government has put £550m into social care, with £66m more coming in 2018-19.

The minister says successful integration is even more imporant than that.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar says NHS staff have been left "overworked, under-valued and under-resourced" all year round.

He says 100,000 apologies are needed year round due to missed waiting time targets.

Health Secretary Shona Robison calls on Labour to support the draft budget which provides more funding to the NHS.

All health systems across the UK have issued an apology to patients, she says, but patients have remained thankful.

She says Scotland has the best performing A&E departments in the UK for two years.

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Tory MSP Miles Briggs begins by paying tribute to NHS staff.

Mr Briggs asks if the health secretary can confirm that there have not been enough call handlers over the festive period leading to activation of the Scottish Ambulance Service's command and control centre, usually reserved for terrorist attacks and major incidents.

Ms Robison says the Scottish Ambulance Service has escalation procedures for extra pressure.

She says nothing less would be expected.

Noting the decision about whether to be vaccinated is up to individuals, Ms Robison encourages all entitled to it, to do so.

She notes four people have passed away who had been admitted to hospital for flu-related reasons.

However, the health secretary adds other factors come into play, not just the flu.

"It is too simplistic to say this excess is explained by flu."

Ms Robison says health care staff vaccination is lower than it should be at over 40%.

The health secretary says the English figure only includes frontline staff, as opposed to the more wide ranging Scottish figure.

She says resources are supporting health boards with their flu campaigns.

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The NHS is preparing itself for a bad flu season.

One of the strains circulating this year - H3N2 - has been dubbed Aussie flu because it is the same strain that recently caused big problems for Australia.

Australia's 2017 flu season was the worst the country had experienced in nearly a decade.

Experts are waiting to see if similar will happen in the UK, after a recent rise in cases.

Read more here.

The health secretary turns to the impact of flu on the health service, noting it is at its highest level in six years.

The most common flu types on Scotland are in line with World Health Organization expectations, she says, describing it as "alarmist" to suggest otherwise.

Ms Robison says uptake rates are broadly in line with previously years, with 26% of the whole population having already been vaccinated.

She says vaccination among Scottish school pupils compares favourably to English counterparts.

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The number of people waiting more than four hours in Scotland's accident and emergency units reached record high levels in the last week of the year.

The latest weekly figures show that just 78% of patients across Scotland were seen within the target time.

This was well below the Scottish government's 95% target, and the lowest since the weekly figures began in February 2015.

In the same week in 2016 there were 92.5% treated within four hours.

Ms Robison says flu rates in Scotland doubled in December.

Over the fesive period there were over 76,000 calls to the ambulance service she says.

NHS 24 recieved over 45,000 calls.

Ms Robison says Christmas Day was the busiest ever for NHS 24.

She outlines the response by NHS boards, which may have included deferral of non-urgent surgey.

Health Secretary Shona Robison begins by commending NHS staff for providing care during exceptional winter pressures.

She offers apologies to patients whose care has been delayed.

Each year we try to ensure winter pressures can be met but the NHS is facing a number of sustained challenges, she says.

Ms Robison says the number of people presenting to A&E is up 10%.

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Health Secretary Shona Robison will now give a ministerial statement on the response to exceptional winter pressures on the NHS.

Ms Mitchell asks if it is reasonable for Fiona McBride to have to wait ten years for a decision and even now her position is not cetain.

Ms Ewing says again it is for the SPA to consider the tribunal ruling.

Legal Affairs Minister Annabelle Ewing notes the tribunal ruling awarded Ms McBride compensation for the loss of earnings.

She says it is for the SPA to consider its response to the ruling.

Tory MSP Margaret Mitchell asks how much public money has been spent on the case.

Ms Ewing says she does not have a figure and it is a matter for the SPA.

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Fiona McBride was one of four experts who said a fingerprint at a crime scene was that of police officer, Shirley McKie.

This was later seen as an error and Ms McKie received £750,000 compensation.

A disputed finding from an employment tribunal in 2009, that Ms McBride had been unfairly dismissed and should be awarded compensation, was upheld by judges at the Supreme Court in June.

The Daily Record reports Ms McBride has been awarded £400,000 in compensation.

Read the report here., external