That's all from Holyrood Live on Tuesday 1 May 2018.

The Solictor gGeneral defended the recent change to Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service policy which enables courts to compel complainers in rape cases to give evidence in court.

Alison Di Rollo insisted victims would only be compelled in exceptional circumstances.

She explained the reason was to ensure courts were able to make a final decision on prosecution rather than giving victims of sexual violence an effective veto.

Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale and others called for the policy to be reversed, citing concerns that it would discourage rape survivors from coming forward.

Deputy Presiding Officer Christine Grahame suggests to members that they may wish to contact their business managers to get more time given the importance of the debate.

That ends today's proceedings.

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Solicitor General Alison Di Rollo says COPFS are working hard to address the reluctance of victims to come to court and she welcomes Lord Carloway's comments today.

Ms Di Rollo says: "We have to protect the women and children in our society."

"This is not a policy of compelling complainers."

The Solicitor General explains it is a policy of reclaiming decision making power in relation to rape and serious sexual offences, it can't be the decision of the complainer.

The solicitor general reiterates a warrant will only be sought in the most exceptional and rare of circumstances.

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson says this means courts reserve the right to compel and urges individuals to be given the right to refuse.

Ms Di Rollo says the legal and ethical issues mean this cannot be the case.

The courts must take positive action to protect the rights of those subjected to rape, she adds.

Green MSP John Finnie raises concerns about the quality of evidence but Ms Di Rollo says she cannot envision a circumstance where some will be compelled if quality is in doubt.

Ms Di Rollo says in the balancing exercise that must be undertaken in the public interest, on the one hand is protecting society and the other is protecting the victim.

"This policy is all about doing the right thing."

Before it complainers effectively had a veto on prosecutions, she says.

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Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale intervenes asking the Solicitor General to respond to the testimony she put forward.

Ms Di Rollos responds saying COPFS is working with both Rape Crisis and Police Scotland to encourage victims to come forward and to ensure they do not feel threatened by compulsion.

"That would be wholly inappropraite."

Solicitor General Alison Di Rollo welcomes the opportunity to clarify what this policy means.

"This is not a policy to compel rape victims to come to court."

She tells members she will continue to do all she can to support victims of rape and sexual violence.

The policy is about being clear and honest with complainers and those who support them that the decision of whether of not the case is prosecuted is one for the Crown, Ms Di Rollo explains.

Complainers views and welfare are at the heart of decision making, the solicitor general emphasises.

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Labour MSP Monica Lennon pays tribute to Kezia Dugdale for her tireless work in giving a voice to survivors of sexual violence.

Ms Lennon also praises the Solictor General Alison Di Rollo for her work in the role.

The Labour MSP says it was with anger and disbelief that she reacted to the policy change introducing the compulsion of rape complainers.

"We can't neglect the wishes and the wellbeing of survivors of sexual violence."

The Labour MSP cites the repeated times rape survivors face a hostile environment in court.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson says a victim will only be compelled in exceptional circumstances.

However he says it is vital women are not discouraged from coming forward and they must therefore be properly supported.

He recognises a key barrier to many women not reporting sexual assault is the justice system itself, with many women feeling punished by a system which is meant to protect them.

Mr Gibson welcomes Lord Carloway's comments this morning.

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Labour MSP Claire Baker says the recent policy change is concerning.

Ms Baker says it seems unnecessary unless it is a threat or a warning, which is not justified when dealing with the victims of rape.

The Labour MSP echoes concerns about funding for Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre.

She says rape is a crime that reaches all parts of our society, one we must confront and one where victims must have justice.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says many assumptions and stigma around sexual violence endure.

He reflects on competing human rights in terms of striking the balance between individual and public rights.

However, Mr Cole-Hamilton says he feels that compelling reluctant complainers will have profound unintended human consequences.

He commends the five asks from Rape Crisis Scotland.

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Scotland's first clinic for victims of sexual violence was due to open at the end of February.

Experts said women who had experienced sexual violence often could not face going to the doctors for smear tests and other intimate examinations.

The new clinic will also provide specialist medical care and support for victims.

It will be based at the Sandyford in Glasgow and is funded by the Scottish government.

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Tory MSP Maurcie Corry says this is a very difficult topic and this is an area where the right balance must be struck between the needs of victims, the needs of prosecutors and the needs of the courts.

Mr Corry says compelling witnesses to give evidence will not help the overall situation of a reduction in rape convictions.

He calls on the government to rethink this policy and listen to the advice of Rape Crisis scotland.

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Last Decemeber we reported that improvements were to be made to services for victims of rape or sexual assault in Scotland.

National written standards for the forensic medical examination of victims were to be introduced for the first time.

And the Scottish government was to invest more than £2m as part of efforts to ensure a more consistent approach in the way cases are handled.

It came after a watchdog strongly criticised the treatment of sexual assault victims by the NHS and police.

The report by Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary (HMICS), which was published in March, said services offered to some victims were "unacceptable" and lagged behind the rest of the UK, with many victims being examined in police stations.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth says she will focus on the call for adequate funding for rape crisis centres.

She notes the Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, external had to close its waiting list due to funding difficulties, though she welcomes the fact it has now reopened.

The upward trajectory of women presenting themselves to such services must be considered and properly financed, Ms Gilruth says.

Scotland already has one of the highest rates of women in prison says the SNP MSP and she warns the policy could compound a culture which makes female victims feel like criminal.

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Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says the physical and mental wellbeing of rape complainers must be the number one priority, but some face treatment in the justice system that is inexcusable.

Ms Baillie says Rape Crisis Scotland have issued warnings about the change in policy.

She says rape victims already find it difficult enough to present their evidence and many cite the hostility of the justice system as a reason not to come forward.

Ms Baillie repeats the words of one rape victim who said the justice process was "worse than rape itself".

The Labour MSP commends the five asks from Rape Crisis Scotland to the Crown Office.

More than 90% of rape and sexual assault victims know their attacker, a new study of almost 1,000 victims says.

Researchers from Glasgow University said it was a popular misconception that most attackers were strangers.

The study looked at the 991 women in Scotland who went through an advocacy programme, which ran for 18 months.

It found that despite many reforms to rape laws, women still suffered as a result of delays and the impersonal nature of the justice system.

Read more here.

Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott welcomes many of the steps set out by Lord Carloway earlier today.

He expresses concern about the potential loss of the provision of legal support for rape complainers in Scotland due to changes to legal aid, as Shetland is only covered by one firm.

"We need to do a whole lot more," he concludes.

Green MSP John Finnie says the state's way of helping an individual must not inflict more grief on them.

You cannot always get quality evidence when a person has been compelled, he says.

The victims of sexual violence must be treated uniquely, Mr Finnie insists.

Key to this is also the support mechanisms put in place, the Green MSP states, expressing regret that a member of the cabinet responsible for money is not in attendance.