That's all from Holyrood Live on Thursday 7 June 2018.

An independent review of the impact of policing on communities during the miners' strike has been set up by the Scottish government.

Many Scottish communities were caught up in the nationwide industrial action in 1984 and 1985.

Image source, STEVE EASON

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson told MSPs that the probe was not anti-police but that it was "high time" that what communities endured was understood.

John Scott QC will lead the review, and will report back to ministers in 2019.

Labour's Neil Findlay - who has been campaigning for an inquiry- said the move was "a huge breakthrough in the fight for justice".

Image source, Dan Kitwood

We all have a role to play in tackling hate crime, insists the minister.

Consolidating the legislation would send a signal that we will not tolerate hate crime, she argues.

In terms of reporting, the minister highlights that hate crimes are under-reported.

She says many witnesses do not feel comfortable coming to the police, which is why Police Scotland works with a range a partners on third party reporting centres.

An improvement plan for these centres is currently being implemented, Ms Ewing notes.

"The Scottish government is fully committed to tackle all forms of hate crime, wherever and whenever they occur."

The community safety minister concludes by urging people to be vigilant and to stand united against hate crime.

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Community Safety and Legal Affairs Minister Annabelle Ewing says legislation is an important aspect of the agenda to tackle hate crime.

Ms Ewing wants "Scotland's ability to tackle hate crime to be the best we can make it".

She accepts Lord Bracadale's recommendation to consolidate the hate crime legislation in Scotland, but warns consultation will be needed going forward.

Ms Ewing accepts concerns about the report from Scottish Women's Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland and says they must be listened to.

The charities had called for a standalone misogynistic hate crime to be created in Scotland, but that is not one of Lord Bracadale's recommendations.

Mr Lindhurst expresses concern that the use of 'hostility' in legislation would water down the law, because it does not provide clarity.

Legislation alone is unlikely to be the whole answer and bad law can actually make things worse, the Tory MSP asserts.

On the offence of stirring up hate crime, he emphasises the need for caution on this as freedom of expression is an important right in democracy.

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Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst tells the chamber while hate crime has dropped in the last year the issue still arose in over 5,000 cases.

Mr Lindhurst says how the legislation works goes right to the heart of this review.

He welcomes the recommendation to consolidate the various pieces of hate crime legislation into one statute.

The Tory MSP hopes this will raise awareness in the public of hate crimes.

Image source, SPL

Ms Grant says the recommendations regarding the exploitation of vulnerable people would be a worthwhile inclusion in future hate laws.

She points to an increase in crime against disabled people.

I hope the report provides a foundation for legislation which tackles hate crime and we need to build on it to create the inclusive society we all want, Ms Grant concludes.

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Labour MSP Rhoda Grant welcomes Lord Bracadale's report, adding hate crime is a blight on our society.

Ms Grant says anecdotally this type of abuse is becoming more common.

The Labour MSP belives the report can be built on, but says the report misses out misogyny.

She says hatred of women due to their gender is all too common and we've seen the growth of people who call themselves incels - involuntary celibates - who preach hatred against women and those who have relationships with them.

Ms Grant goes on to state the rise in Islamophobia is extremely worrying and must be stamped out.

Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie states that incitement to hatred legislation has been previously considered by the parliament, but never pursued.

Mr Harvie argues Lord Bracadale has recommended a softer but more general version of this.

There also seems to be a consensus among women's organisations that a standalone offence for misogynistic crimes should be considered, he says.

The Green MSP says a single piece of consolidating legislation can bring together old laws and see new ones created.

Image source, Gettty Images

There were a total of 5,708 hate crime charges in Scotland in 2016-17, including 3,349 racial, 673 religious, 1,075 LGB, 40 transgender and 188 disability hate crimes.

It is widely accepted that the real level of hate crime is far higher than reported in official statistics, as a significant number go unreported.

Police have also warned that many recorded instances of hate crime have an online element as increasing numbers of youngsters use social media to bully their peers or hide behind fake online accounts.

The Scottish government has stressed that Scotland is an "open and inclusive nation" but is not immune from the threat of racism, intolerance and prejudice.

"Hate crime of any kind should not be accepted in a civilised society," Tory MSP Annie Wells emphasises.

She says the need for "open and frank discourse" going forward will be necessary.

Ms Wells expresses concern that creating new offences may dilute the goal of tackling abuse against ethnic minorities or disabled people.

The Scottish government must get tough on criminals that target the vulnerable, she argues.

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SNP MSP George Adam points out Lord Bracadale said in his report that there were gaps in the law.

Mr Adam goes on to say the report warns about the gap in threatening communications, which was covered in the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act.

MSPs voted to repeal the Act on 15 March 2018.

The Act may be gone but the problem still remains, he says.

Mr Adam goes on to say: "There is no place for any hate crime in Scotland."

In March, Transport Minister Humza Yousaf and Labour MSP Anas Sarwar told BBC Scotland that racism and Islamophobia are getting worse in Scotland.

Appearing together on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland, they both said they frequently received violent death threats via social media and in emails.

The MSPs said members of the Muslim community and other faiths had reported increasing levels of abuse.

This included on the street and while engaged in work.

Read more here.

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Labour MSP Anas Sarwar welcomes the inclusion of both age and gender aggravations.

Mr Sarwar calls for more work in defining Islamophobia, because it is on the rise.

The Labour MSP warns that a failure to define it allows those with malice of intent to do it instead.

He says we should not be allowed to hate someone for having a belief.

Mr Sarwar argues the test has to be whether it passes the test of the fair minded majority.

The Labour MSP tellls MSPs social media is creating an "echo chamber of hate and prejudice".

Mr McArthur warns against prioritising one hate crime over another and recommends creating a baseline offence.

The Lib Dem MSP says: "Hate crime too often blights our society.

"Lord Bracadale has given us a sound basis on which to ensure that the laws we have are up to the task"