Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie raises the treatment time guarantee too.

He argues little has changed when he raised this exact issue a year ago - except the number of people waiting has increased.

When will things get better, Mr Rennie asks.

"This figures published this week are not good enough," accepts the first minister.

Ms Sturgeon says there has been improvement in outpatient waiting times, while investment announced this week will help boost inpatient waiting times.

The first minister reiterates that demand on the NHS is increasing.

Tory MSP John Scott calls for support for the police in Ayrshire following trouble on the beach in Troon.

The first minister stresses the funding the government allocates to Police Scotland.

Green MSP Andy Wightman asks whether the Scottish government will bring forward legislation to allow the City of Edinburgh to establish a visitor levy tax.

The first minister encourages the member to discuss the issue with Finance Secretary Derek Mackay.

Image source, Glasgow 2014

A student nurse who served in the Scottish Youth Parliament and carried the Queen's Commonwealth Games baton is facing deportation.

Denzel Darku, 23, moved to the UK from Ghana nine years ago but is fighting to stay in Scotland having seen two appeals rejected.

The former Paisley Grammar School pupil said: "It has been upsetting because I have nothing in Ghana."

A Home Office spokesman said every case is assessed "on its individual merits".

Read more here.

Labour MSP Neil Bibby raises the case of Denzel Darku, who is facing deportation.

The first minister agrees it is "outrageous, scandalous, a disgrace" that Mr Darku is threatened with deportation.

We should be attracting more people of his caliber to Scotland, she adds.

The first minister calls for a change to immigration policy which recognises the needs of Scotland.

Image source, bbc

Mr Leonard says waiting times is what the people of Scotland want Ms Sturgeon to focus on, not independence.

There are serious problems in our NHS and they are growing, he asserts, adding the SNP is expending more energy in its "cuts commission".

When will Ms Sturgeon focus on the national health services rather than nationalism, the Scottish Labour leader asks.

The first minister again points to £50m investment announced this week to tackle waiting times.

She says her government will continue to take action on health and education, "and leave the Better Together parties to speak about whatever they want".

Mr Leonard says the government has a target focusing on patients should not wait longer than six weeks for cancer treatment.

He adds that one in five patients are now waiting too long and asks what the figure was when the first minister came to power.

Ms Sturgeon details government action in this area and adds the 62 day standard is an important one.

Where there are issues the government will address them, she insists.

Mr Leonard says one in 13 patients waited to long when Nicola Sturgeon became first minister now it is one in five.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard quotes Dr Grant Baxter from the Royal College of Radiologists, external: "We are witnessing a national radiology service that is starting to crumble."

Is Dr Baxter wrong, Mr Leonard asks.

Ms Sturgeon points to high performance, before highlighting increases to patient demand.

"This is not unique to Scotland."

We are taking action to invest more in the health service, totaling £2bn over this parliament, the first minister asserts.

We are also taking steps to reform the health service and shift that balance of care, she insists.

The Scottish Tory leader says;

• 17,000 people are waiting beyond the six week waiting time for diagnostic tests
• it has become harder for people from deprived background to make it to university
• and there has been a rise in antisocial crime under the SNP.

The first minister claims Ms Davidson is wrong on university access, pointing to figures indicating an increase in young people going to university as well as improvement in the number of care-experienced young people attending.

Image source, Thinkstock

From the Scottish Farmer:

FAILURE of the Scottish Government to get vital payments under the Basic Payments Scheme out on time, is putting Scotland's farmers in a financial predicament,in danger of spiraling out of control.

The concern comes from South-west farmer Jim Walker, who told The Scottish Farmer: " The payments delay is a time-bomb waiting to explode ,with the knock-on effect hitting banks,feed suppliers,seed merchants , fertiliser suppliers,auction marts,cattle dealers,agricultural contractors,machinery dealers,in fact the whole rural supply chain.

"Against this backdrop the patronising offer to pay for extra dead animals killed by the Beast from the East has been the only response of the Scottish Government to the biggest liquidity crisis in rural Scotland in living memory."

According to Mr Walker, a former NFUS, external president, the root of the problem is lies at the door of the biggest IT scandal in the public sector in Scotland's history.

Read more here., external

Ms Davidson suggests it was "brave" of the first minister to mention CAP payments.

She raises concerns from NFU Scotland's Jim Walker, who said the first minister was "presiding over the biggest funding scandal in modern Scottish history".

The first minister should spend more time concentrating on this, she argues.

Ms Sturgeon says £314m has been paid in loans to farmers, while nearly 75% of farmers have received 90% of the payments they are entitled to.

She says the most pressing question facing farmers across the UK is: "What is going to happen to CAP payments after the Tories drag us out of the European Union?"

"They've been guaranteed," responds Ms Davidson.

Ms Davidson argues the first minister has spent the last few days "fire fighting" against her own supporters' criticism of the growth commission report.

We have had some of the worst NHS waiting times ever and access to education is being restricted, she argues.

The Scottish Tory leader asks how satisfied rural Scotland is with this government.

Ms Sturgeon asks if Ms Davisdon doesn't want us to talk about independence, why is she taking the weekly opportunity at FMQs to raise independence?

She suggests Ms Davidson has "nothing else to talk about".

Turning to rural Scotland, the first minister says the government is working hard to make CAP payments and points to yesterday's passage of the Islands Bill.

Image source, Getty Images

A quarter of eligible NHS patients are not being treated within a legally-binding timescale, the latest statistics have shown.

Planned inpatient and day care treatment must start within 12 weeks under the Scottish government's Treatment Time Guarantee (TTG).

But only 75.9% of patients were treated within this timescale in the past three months.

This was down from 80.4% in the previous quarter.

Read more here.

Image source, PA

Nicola Sturgeon has defended the SNP's Growth Commission report amid heavy criticism from opposition parties and some independence supporters.

In a series of twitter posts, external, the first minister insisted the commission had set out an alternative to Westminster's "austerity" and "Brexit spiral".

The commission's long-awaited economic report was published on Friday.

Among its recommendations were for an independent Scotland to keep the pound, but without a formal currency union.

The move would see the Bank of England continue to set interest rates and other monetary policy in the years after independence.

Read more here.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson criticises the first minister for defending the SNP's growth commission report in the same week higher NHS waiting lists were publishe and fewer people from deprived areas were heading to university.

She questions the first minister's priorities.

The first minister defends the health service, noting Ms Davidson had accepted it was well performing.

She also points to announcements made this week, including:

• the creation of the new manufacturing institute
• extending the scheme to tackle period poverty
• an end to child burial fees
• tackling plastic usage
• passing the Islands Bill,
• confirming funding for the Stirling and Clackmannanshire growth deal
• announcing a fund for child poverty