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Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says he is not entirely sure how to follow that up.

Mr Johnson says this is a serious debate

"There is no more important point than the governance and effectiveness of the police force of our country."

He says transparency is crucial.

SNP MSP Richard Lyle says he will focus his speech on his experience of the cabinet secretary.

He takes us back a few years to describe the first time he met Michael Matheson.

Volume levels are rising in the chamber through the member's speech.

Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame intervenes, saying this is not a job reference and urges the member to speak to the motion.

Mr Lyle continues by revealing he once told Mr Matheson, "you'll go far, son."

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Tory MSP Maurice Corry says the public should have been able to find out what had happened at the meeting between the justice secretary and the former SPA chair.

Mr Corry says: "This is another example of the SNP's attempt to create a secret Scotland where no-one is able to hold them to account for their actions.

Scottish Lib Dems leader Willie Rennie begins by backing the justice secretary's decision to ask questions about the decision to allow Phil Gormley to come back to work.

"If I were in his position, I probably would have been asking exactly the same questions."

However, Mr Rennie argues the cabinet secretary has tried to conflate the process around intervening with the subject of the questions.

He suggests parliamentarians would still not know about the intervention had the Sunday Herald not reported on it.

Turning to the minutes, he criticises Mr Matheson for failing to make a not of such an important meeting.

The fact the justice secretary did not tell parliamentarians, did not respond properly to an FOI and did not keep a minute of meeting is described as "unforgivable".

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Green MSP John Finnie says this debate has become a wee bit of a soap opera.

Mr Finnie says: "It would have been an entirely different debate had the cabinet secretary NOT done what he did."

He says he is delighted with this new interest in transparency and openness and says the government must be accountable.

The Green MSP says the reversal of the SPA's decision on Phil Gormley's return was entirely appropriate as there was no regard for the welfare of the officers who had made the complaints, nor for operational matters.

"Due process henceforth would be better if we kept a note of things cabinet secretary."

SNP MSP George Adam says the fact MSPs are debating this subject after yesterday's justice committee defies belief.

He repeats Susan Deacon's comments that Mr Matheson would have been failing in his duties had he not questioned the SPA's decision.

He also notes Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone had not been asked to put together any welfare measures for staff ahead of Mr Gormley's planned return.

How can any workplace allow someone to return to work without putting protections in place, he asks.

"It's disappointing the Tories are attempting to use Police Scotland as political football".

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Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says this is like the Keystone Cops.

She cites their description as "incompetence on steroids", but then says she is being unfair on those stalwart cops from the black and white era in comparing them with the SPA and justice minister.

Ms Baillie says the actions of the justice secretary and the SPA have been a "soap opera of cringe worthy proportions".

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The Labour MSP says it is simply not credible for the cabinet secretary to say nothing was taken down at his meeting with former SPA chair Andrew Flanagan.

She says she is impressed with the cabinet secretary's memory of a meeting two months ago, considering no notes were taken.

"Do they think we're stupid?"

SNP MSP Ben Macpherson springs to the justice secretary's defense, saying Mr Matheson had acted pro-actively and responsibly in terms of informing parliament.

Laughter from Conservative's side of the chamber in response.

Police performance in Scotland is robust and public confidence is strong, Mr Macpherson argues.

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The chief constable went on special leave in September 2017 as a series of allegations of misconduct against him emerged.

There are now six complaints under investigation, including four by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.

However in November the SPA board unanimously agreed in a private meeting that he should be allowed to return to work.

Mr Gormley was on his way back to Scotland to resume his duties, with a press release having already been drafted, when Mr Matheson was informed of the decision and raised his concerns with then-SPA chair Andrew Flanagan.

The decision was subsequently reversed.

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This parliament has had to endure a merry-go-round to only get half the facts, says Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst.

"This is no way to go about government business."

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Labour MSP Daniel Johnson asks: "Has Mr Matheson been following due process himself?"

He says the justice secretary only came to parliament after the meeting was leaked, when oppsotion members began asking questions.

Mr Matheson fell short of the transparency standards we should expected of government, Mr Johnson argues.

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The latest complaint made against Scotland's chief constable would amount to gross misconduct if true, a watchdog has ruled.

The Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) said it was assessing the complaint - the sixth to have been made against Phil Gormley.

Pirc has now said it is treating the case as potential gross misconduct.

Lawyers for Mr Gormley denounced the complaint as "spurious and contrived".

Read more.

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Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says the "brutal bottom line" is this that taken as a whole it is a "shambolic place for one of most crucial public services to be in".

Mr Johnson says the deficiencies in the SPA have been going on for months.

The Labour MSP says Mr Matheson is responsible for the SPA.

"It's failings are his failings."

The Labour MSP says the question has to be is Mr Matheson is up to his job.

The recruitment campaign for five new board members will provide an opportunity to strengthen the board, the justice secretary states.

I take my responsibility under the ministerial code very seriously, he says.

"I stand by the judgements I've made."

He concludes by calling for Susan Deacon to be supported in her new role as chair of the SPA to ensure the police commands trust.

Ms Mitchell intervenes to say Ms Deacon said she would have taken a formal minute of the meeting with her predecessor.

The cabinet secretary says he did not direct the SPA to reverse its decision.

He says a full account of the meeting with Andrew Flanagan was given in his statement to the parliament.

The minister says going forward minutes will be taken of meetings and the SNP will support Labour's amendment.