Support for social landlordspublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
SNP MSP Ruth Maguire asks about support for social landlords to provide affordable housing that is allocated according to need.
Summary
The Public Petitions Committee discusses support for families with multiple births
Nicola Sturgeon is quizzed by opposition party leaders and backbench MSPs during first minister's questions
The Scottish government gives a statement updating parliament on the South of Scotland Partnership.
MSPs debate the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill for the final time before voting on whether to pass it at decision time
Support for social landlordspublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Background: Group of teens charged with 100 offences in Edinburghpublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
A group of teenagers has been charged in connection with more than 100 offences following a spate of crimes in Edinburgh.
Antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, theft, robbery and assault were reported across the city centre over three weeks from 30 October 2017.
Police were alerted to more than 40 incidents during the period.
Officers have now charged 13 people aged between 14 and 17 in connection with 108 alleged offences.
Antisocial behaviourpublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst asks about action to reduce antisocial behaviour.
Education secretary details fundingpublished at 11:59 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image caption, Education Secretary John Swinney
Education Secretary John Swinney says the Scottish government has provided over £269m in capital investment and £41.6m in revenue investment.
Ms MacDonald asks what proportion of rebuilding and refurbishing costs allocated is met by the Scottish government.
Mr Swinney says the Scottish government provides two-thirds funding support to secondary schools and one third to primary schools.
Background: Scottish schools benefit from £230m building boostpublished at 11:58 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, Getty ImagesIn January 2016, the Scottish government confirmed that £230m will be used to build or refurbish 19 schools.
It represented the final phrase of the £1.8bn Schools for the Future programme.
Ministers said more than 6,500 pupils will benefit from the plans, which should be completed by March 2020.
Confirmation came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited South Ayrshire's Queen Margaret Academy, one of the schools to be re-built.
Schools for the Futurepublished at 11:56 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald queries how much the government has invested in the Schools for the Future programme since 2011.
Scottish government will take heed of group recommendations after payments devolvedpublished at 11:54 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image caption, Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman
Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman says the group was a short-term group which ended in November 2016.
A report was published in October 2016 including recommendations on cold weather payments and the Scottish government's response is available online, she says.
The Scottish government will continue to take heed of the recommendations once the benefit is devolved, Ms Freeman confirms.
Background: Two million households to get 'big freeze' paymentspublished at 11:53 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, Getty ImagesAround two million UK households will receive Cold Weather Payments of £25 each, following last week's cold snap.
The government will pay out £50m, the largest weekly sum for five years.
The payments were triggered after temperatures in many parts of the country fell below zero Celsius for seven consecutive days.
To qualify, householders have to be claiming one of five benefits.
These are: Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Job Seekers' Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or Universal Credit.
Cold weather paymentspublished at 11:51 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
SNP MSP Linda Fabiani requests information on discussions with the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group on cold weather payments.
Postpublished at 11:51 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on TwitterThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Skip twitter postThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
End of twitter postAnnual report to be published in summerpublished at 11:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image caption, Equalities Secretary Angela Constance
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance says the Scottish government is unable to compare community asset transfer numbers from before the Act's passage.
However, she notes the first annual report will be published in June where numbers of transfers will become clear.
Background: Communities in Scotland own more than 500,000 acres of landpublished at 11:47 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
An estimated 562,230 acres (227,526ha) of land in Scotland is in community ownership, according to a new report.
The Scottish government has set a target of one million acres being owned by communities by the end of 2020.
So far, 492 parcels of land are managed by 403 community groups across Scotland,according to the report by Scotland's Chief Statistician, external.
The largest areas in community ownership are in the Highlands and the Western Isles.
The estimated 562,230 acres represents 2.9% of the total land area of Scotland.
Community asset transferspublished at 11:47 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson asks about the number of community asset transfers since the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 came into force, and how this compares with previous numbers.
Background: Disability group wants pause on straw ban campaignpublished at 11:46 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, Getty ImagesA disability group is calling for a pause in the campaign to ban plastic straws.
The One in Five group wants MSP Kate Forbes to halt her Final Straw campaign temporarily while concerns are addressed for disabled people.
It says paper, plant-based and metal alternatives are not always suitable and could even prove dangerous.
The group wants the campaign to have disability advice in place for companies looking to replace plastic.
'Nothing we do will negatively impact on the disabled community'published at 11:46 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image caption, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham says a disability advisor has been appointed to the advisory panel on single use plastics, Professor Kate Sang.
Mr Balfour says paper straws are not a suitable alternative while "greener" straws tend to be more expensive.
Ms Cunningham says all disability issue will be considered and potential solution will be explored.
"Nothing we do will negatively impact on the disabled community."
Plastic straw ban and disabled peoplepublished at 11:45 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour asks about ensuring disabled people are not disadvantaged by the ban on plastic straws.
Joins us fo the final debate on the repeal of the Football Act at 3pm..............published at 11:44 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, PAThe Scottish Parliament is expected to repeal the country's Offensive Behaviour at Football Act in a vote on Thursday afternoon.
The legislation was passed by the then-majority SNP government in 2011 in a bid to crack down on sectarianism.
All four opposition parties at Holyrood want it scrapped, arguing it has failed to tackle the problem.
They will have enough votes to pass a bill put forward by Labour MSP James Kelly that will repeal the law.
But the Scottish government said doing so would be "foolhardy" and would send out the wrong message.
The legislation has deeply divided opinion from the start, with those who support it saying it was needed to fight the scourge of sectarianism within Scottish football.
Minister says sectarian related crime has no place in Scotlandpublished at 11:43 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, bbcImage caption, Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing
Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing says sectarian related crime has no place in Scotland, which is why the Scottish government has invested an unprecedented £13m since 2012 to address the issue.
Mr Macgregor asks what else the government is doing to tackle sectarianism.
Ms Ewing says it will invest in groups like Nil by Mouth to tackle the issue.
Background: Sectarianism suffered by half of Scottish football fans, fans' survey findspublished at 11:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
Image source, Getty ImagesHalf of Scottish football fans say they have been subjected to sectarianism in and around football stadia, with 81% believing it is a problem for the game.
The survey also reported that 18% of those taking part claimed to have been subjected to physical abuse in and around Scottish football stadia.
And 71% of fans do not believe the Offensive Behaviour Act, introduced by the Scottish Government in 2012 to make sectarianism at football a criminal offence, has been effective in preventing unacceptable conduct by supporters.
Later this afternoon, MSPs will debate the bill bidding to repeal the Offensive Behaviour Act brought forward by Labour MSP James Kelly.
The bill won the backing of the justice committee and passed stage one in January, with the backing of all opposition members.
Sectarian crimepublished at 11:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 March 2018
SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor asks what is being done to tackle sectarian-related crime.