SNP MSP Tom Arthur explains hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which, left untreated, can seriously damage the liver.

Sharing needles and unprotected sex can lead to the transmission of the disease, he adds.

It is estimated that around 800 people in Scotland have undiagnosed hepatitis C, Mr Arthur states.

The MSP urges individuals to seek support if there is a chance of exposure to hepatitis C.

"There is no need to worry in silence."

Image source, Getty Images

SNP MSP Tom Arthur will now lead a debate entitled 'Eliminating Hepatitis C in Scotland: A Call to Action'.

Mr Arthur highlights the report, Eliminating Hepatitis C in Scotland: A Call to Action, external, by the Hepatitis C Trust, external.

The SNP MSP says Scotland has an ambitious commitment to eliminate the condition by 2030, which an estimated 34,500 people in the country have, 40% of whom are undiagnosed.

A lunchtime members' debate - kicking off at 1.15pm - focuses on the elimination of Hepatitis C in Scotland.

There's a busy afternoon ahead for under pressure Health Secretary Shona Robison, who will be quizzed during portfolio questions and then faces two health debates led by Labour, who have repeatedly called for her to go.

Image source, BBC/PA

The first health debate continues the call for a public inquiry into mental health services in NHS Tayside.

The second debate focuses on waiting times and the call for accurate, expected waiting time ranges to be communicated to patients.

Tory MSP Rachael Hamilton will then lead a members' debate on the condition of Scotland's roads.

Image source, bbc

John Butcher from North Ayrshire Council points out that education has no history of procurement.

It will take a little bit of time for headteachers to work their way through that, but they are being supported by the council's procurement staff, Mr Butcher explains.

The only guidance his council is giving is 'be imaginative'.

And that ends the committee.

Mr Butcher says PEF is used for a range of things and it allows headteachers to be innovative.

"It's all used appropriately by headteachers at their discretion," he argues.

Linda Lees points to the use of PEF in Wester Hailes to provide more people with "middle class experiences", such as bringing in arts and culture professionals.

Dr James Foley says the most innovative uses he has come across tend to be more small scale initiatives, such as buying in spare uniform and sports kits.

Convener James Dornan suggests guidance from local authorities is unclear about how PEF can be used.

Image source, bbc

Labour MSP Mary Fee moves on to the issue of PEF (Pupil Equity Funding) and its impact on closing the attainment gap.

John Butcher from North Ayrshire Council explains that some schools have used PEF to purchase campus officers, while the rest is funded by Police Scotland.

Ms Fee asks how campus officers help raise attainment.

Mr Butcher argues the officers are not there to police schools and points out they are involved in Duke of Edinburgh Awards and are fully involved in the life of schools.

SNP MSP Gillian Martin says there are hidden areas of poverty, exacerbated by stigma.

She asks about how councils go about ensuring young girls do not have to ask for menstrual products when facing period poverty.

Dr James Foley agrees it is a double stigma and North Lanarkshire Council's policy to deliver free products in schools aims to change values and tacke the stigma.

John Butcher says the products were misused in North Ayrshire schools in the first week but this died down once the novelty had worn off.

John Butcher from North Ayrshire Council points out his council was one of the first to tackle period poverty with free sanitary products in all of the schools in North Ayrshire.

Last month we reported an MSP campaigning to end period poverty in Scotland had said the "time is right" for Holyrood to pass legislation to tackle the issue.

Labour's Monica Lennon said Scotland could "lead the world" by passing her member's bill for a universal system offering free sanitary products.

Image source, Getty Images

It follows research suggesting one in four women struggle to access products.

A consultation on Ms Lennon's Sanitary Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill has attracted the support of 96% of respondents for the proposals to become law.

Read more here.

Green MSP Ross Greer raises the issue of responding to poverty more widely.

The Child Poverty Action Group is about to bring out a toolkit to support parents, teachers and other professionals, Dr James Foley says.

We are trying to pick up on examples of good practice and generalise them across the board, he explains.

John Butcher says "poverty is an everyday part of life" in his area unfortunately.

Headteachers are very aware of the cost of the school day and we try to minimise that in every way we can, he explains.

In 2016 BBC Scotland reported on the stark contrast of poverty and wealth in Scotland's towns and cities, which had been illustrated in an interactive map of deprivation.

The Scottish Index of Multiple of Deprivation named Ferguslie Park in Paisley as the most deprived area of the country.

But the maps showed that there were pockets of deprivation in most of Scotland's urban areas.

• Check the map for your area here, external

They highlight the most deprived areas in red, while the least deprived are dark blue.

Image source, SIMD

The index found that Glasgow has 56 of the 100 most deprived areas in Scotland.

Meanwhile Edinburgh has six of the most deprived areas - up two on the same survey four years ago.

Image source, bbc

Linda Lees from City of Edinburgh Council tells the committee she is putting in frameworks to help schools understand their equity profile.

Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott asks how achievement is measured.

Dr James Foley replies that his local authority will try to implement qualitative measurements.

Mr Butcher from North Ayrshire Council points to pupil involvement in Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the Outdoor Education Trust and John Muir Awards.

Linda Lees also points to measurements about engagement with accredited awards.

Image source, Google

North Ayrshire has the second highest rate of child poverty in Scotland behind Glasgow, confirms John Butcher.

I do firmly believed that our future depends on our children's learning, he states.

Mr Butcher refers the committee to the professional learning academy which works with teachers on attainment, as well as health and wellbeing of children.

It has made a "huge difference", the North Ayrshire Council claims, pointing to improvements in closing the attainment gap without bringing the highest achievers down.

Dr Foley agrees that local authorities can't do this alone, but the first thing North Lanarkshire will do is maximise its resources.

He points out that Finland rolled out its free school meals system when it was not wealthy after World War Two.

This took political will, Dr Foley suggests.

Image source, bbc

There are pockets of "intense" child poverty among the most affluent areas of Scotland, new analysis has found.

While East Renfrewshire has some of the most prosperous communities in the country, the local authority includes Arthurlie and Dovecothall, where 54.9% of children live in poverty.

Researchers from Glasgow Caledonian University found similar inequality in Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland.

They said two-thirds of those classed as poor lived outside "deprived" areas.

• Child poverty review backs new and top-up benefits
• MSPs set target to lower child poverty
• 'Devastating rise in child poverty in Scotland

Prof John McKendrick, who led the research, said it demonstrated the limits of focusing anti-poverty strategies only in the most deprived areas.

His study also found that even in local authorities with the lowest levels of child poverty, there were areas where more than one in every four children were living in deprived circumstances.

Read more here.

John Butcher says North Ayrshire Council has taken a targeted response to food poverty.

The initiatives being run are not just about food poverty but also about tackling social isolation during school holidays, he explains.

Schools are routed in communities and are currently an underused resource Mr Butcher suggests.

Linda Lees explains City of Edinburgh Council is currently working on a holiday hunger initiative that will also improve access to other opportunities.

We hope to engage third sector partners and school staff, she adds.

Image source, bbc

Dr James Foley explains that studies into food poverty and its impact on learning loss are very much in their infancy.

Dr Foley highlights a big anxiety about the impact of the rollout of Universal Credit.

He says 50 teachers he asked about food hunger all agreed it was getting worse.

Food should be a fundamental human right, he concludes.

Image source, Getty Images

A Scottish council is planning to provide free meals 365 days a year to children from low income families.

North Lanarkshire Council said its proposal would help tackle "holiday hunger".

The "Food 365" programme would cover the 175 days of the year when lunches are not served in school.

The council ran a pilot project in the spring break and intends extend the scheme over the summer holidays.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead begins with the issue of holiday hunger, probing information on trends in food poverty and how it can be tackled.

Dr James Foley from North Lanarkshire Council says much of the starting evidence was anecdotal.

Club 365 came about after conversations with teachers in deprived communities, he explains.

This was because hunger during holidays was having an impact on pupils' ability to learn for weeks after returning to school, Dr Foley states.