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Mr Yousaf confirms the last meeting was on 27 April, with discussions focusing on procurement for the Northern Isles ferry service, road equivalent tariffs and ferry capacity issues.

Mr McArthur requests an update on road equivalent tariffs when possible.

The minister says RET will be introduced in the first half of 2018, but an exact date has not been announced due to the presence of a commercial operator on the route.

I am very confident we will meet our commitment to introduce it in early 2018, he says.

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur asks when Transport and Islands Minister Humza Yousaf last met with Orkney Islands Councils.

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Economy Secretary Keith Brown says eight Scottish ministers attended, with discussions covering the new South of Sotland enterprise agency and the national council of rural advisors.

SNP MSP Emma Harper seeks information on the outcomes of the National Economic Forum meeting in Dumfries yesterday.

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Transport Minister Humza Yousaf says Transport Scotland is working with SEStran and East Lothian Council on the matter.

It is the responsibility of planning authorities to consider transport needs for any new developments, he adds.

The minister also refers to efforts to improve capacity on the east coast main line.

Mr Gray suggests plans are to deal with current capacity constraints, not future ones including planned housing.

Mr Yousaf says he is happy to take the issue ip with ScotRail Alliance.

Image source, Walter Baxter

In February, two councils agreed to support Scottish government proposals to deliver the reopening of two stations in their area.

The Scottish Borders and East Lothian authorities have backed the plans for Reston and East Linton.

The councils believe it could potentially allow the stations to be operational by 2021.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said he was delighted the councils had accepted the increased funding offer.

Read more.

Labour MSP Iain Gray asks about plans and funds in place to expand rail services in East Lothian to meet the needs of the 10,000 new homes that are expected to be built in the area.

Chamber proceedings kick off from 11:40 with general questions.

After that, Holyrood Live will bring you extensive coverage of FMQs complete with live reaction on social media.

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Then SNP MSP Clare Haughey leads a members' debate on perinatal mental health.

After lunch, we return with a statement from Veterans Minister Keith Brown on veterans' health and wellbeing.

Closing out the week will be the stage 3 debate on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Relief from Additional Amount) (Scotland) Bill, with a pleasantly early decision time at 4pm.

Glasgow City Council put in place a measure to ensure people applying for a crisis grant as a result of a benefits sanction were put in touch with welfare officers to encourage an appeal, Morag Johnston says.

The council is looking at the broad range of services across the city ahead of Universal Credit coming in so it can better support people, she says.

And with that, the convener moves the committee into private session.

Labour MSP Pauline McNeill raises claims of councils gate keeping and guidelines.

Craig Mason explains Dundee City Council refers to national guidance.

"I don't recognise in our authority any sort of gate keeping issues."

Morag Johnston from Glasgow City Council also says decision makers are encouraged to look to national guidance, suggesting interpretation may be leading to some problems.

Budgetary constraint is a challenge for the Scottish Welfare Fund in terms of managing expectations, which may lead to a side effect of putting people off applying she says.

Last December Scotland's children's commissioner said he might consider legal action over the Universal Credit rollout if it further disadvantages young people.

Bruce Adamson said poverty was the biggest human rights issue facing children in Scotland.

He told the BBC reforms to the benefits systems could be resulting in some children going without basics like a warm home and hot meals.

The UK government said Universal Credit was helping people improve their lives.

Read more.

SNP MSP Ruth Maguire asks what information is gathered on applicants.

Dundee City Council's Craig Mason explains there are three or four suppliers of IT systems for the Scottish Welfare Fund.

This means the information is potentially there but discussions are ongoing on utilising it to improve decisions making, he states.

Morag Johnston from Glasgow City Council says the number of applicants made versus the number of awards given is monitored.

But she expresses uncertainty about how the council could go about gathering information on people put off from applying.

Glasgow City Council is not housing people who are homeless quickly enough, a watchdog has found.

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) also ruled many people were spending too much time in temporary accommodation, an average of 238 days.

In 2016/17 the council secured homes for nearly 2,000 families, around half of those it had a duty to house.

It said progress had been made in recent times but improvements were still needed.

But Shelter Scotland said the council's performance was "not acceptable".

Read more here.

SNP MSP Ruth Maguire asks about local delivery and efforts to get to people quicker.

Glasgow City Council's Morag Johnston expresses concern about evidence heard earlier about people not being treated with dignity and respect.

Council staff are undergoing poverty awareness training, she says.

In terms of local delivery, Ms Johnston says it allows better responses to specific issues - for example Glasgow having more refugees.

She also refers to a cancer project which links people to the Scottish Welfare Fund to ensure they are receiving what they are entitled to.

Image source, Getty Images

Poverty rates in Scotland are continuing to rise, official figures have suggested.

In each year between2014 and 2017, one million people in Scotland, externalwere living in poverty, which was up slightly on previous years.

The latest statistics also show 8% of people are in "persistent poverty".

The Scottish government said it was "absolutely committed" to ending poverty and would set out its plan to eradicate child poverty by 2030.

Read more.

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Sheila McKandie from Highland Council explains her local authority has experienced UC for a long time.

Ms McKandie tells the committee 50% of crisis grants in her area are to UC claimants.

She says as welfare reform kicks in more dramatically and as local government cuts continue there is real pressure coming down the line.

Food banks in Scotland gave out a record number of food parcels last year, according to new figures.

More than 170,000 three-day emergency food supplies were distributed by The Trussell Trust's 52 food banks.

The charity said it saw a 17% increase in demand north of the border in 2017/18, compared to the previous year.

And it claimed a growing proportion of people referred to Scottish food banks have found that their benefits do not cover the cost of essentials.

However, the UK government said it was wrong to link a rise in food bank use to any one cause as the reasons why people use them are complex.

Read more.