Image source, SSE

Mr Lochhead tells the chamber about the specific case Dorenell Wind Farm in his area, for which EDF pays £2,000 per MW info the community fund compared th the Scottish government recommendation of £5,000.

The SNP MSP says his key ask is for ministers to work with industry to ensure communities receive the recommended payment.

Until we have full transparency and a national standard are adhered to, communities may not receive their due he adds.

Image source, bbc

Mr Lochhead uses his motion to say renewable energy presents a unique opportunity to use local renewable resources to create regeneration, empowerment and financial benefits for communities.

The SNP MSP understands that, according to Local Energy Scotland, over £15 million in community benefit has been paid in 2018, up to 9 May, averaging over £5,675 per MW for recent projects.

The national standard for community benefit from onshore wind farm developments is £5,000 per MW.

Mr Lochhead highlights "a very inconsistent picture across Scotland" in community benefit and calls for written agreements and management of funds, including retrospectively.

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead says Scotland's transformation into a "renewable powerhouse" has been one of this parliament's biggest successes.

Onshore wind has led the way and employs over 8,000 people, he highlights.

It has also led to community benefit funds being set up to promote buy-in and pass on the benefits of onshore wind, he explains.

However, Mr Lochhead warns that in practice the results have been variable and many communities are only left with the crumbs off the table.

Image source, Getty Images

SNP MSP Richard Lochhead leads a debate entitled 'Ensuring Appropriate Community Benefit from Onshore Wind Farm Developments".

"It won't be," replies the first minister.

Mr Fraser accepts there will be no immediate impact of the downgraded forecasts, but tax revenues will be down £1.7bn over the next five years.

He also highlights a potential £400m gap in the current year, to be confirmed in 2020-21.

Mr Fraser asks about the GDP growth gap between Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Ms Sturgeon argues the main difference is due to Scotland's slower population growth and she calls for more control over immigration to come to Holyrood.

Our 2018-19 income tax changes will raise £1.2bn over the next five years, the first minister adds.

If we followed Tory policy, £2bn would be lost to public services, she argues.

Image source, bbc

Scotland's economy is set for five more years of "subdued" growth, lagging behind the UK as a whole, the Scottish Fiscal Commission has warned.

The forecaster cut its estimates for the coming years, saying growth will fail to exceed 1% in the years to 2023.

It also predicted that wages will fall in real terms this year, and will not start to rise until 2020.

The Scottish government insisted the "challenging" outlook was a result of UK government austerity policies.

But opposition parties claimed the "grim" forecasts showed that the SNP should focus more on economic matters than the constitution.

• Look back on the financial strategy statement on Holyrood Live
• Read more here

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser asks how the Scottish government’s budget will be affected by the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s downgraded forecasts for tax receipts.

SNP MSP Clare Haughey says Clyde Bridge Steelworks lies within her constituency and she shares these concerns.

The first minister explains her officials have had discussions with Liberty Steel and these will be ongoing.

Image source, bbc

The first minister tells the chamber she is disappointed by this "unjustifiable" decision by Donald Trump.

Ms Adamson says there must be multilateral discussions on this issue and asks if the first minister agrees the importance of the EU is an imperative for the steel industry.

The first minister does agree and says Scottish steel is a quality product and that nobody wins in trade wars.

She again says the decision by the US administration is completely unjustified.

Szu Ping Chan
Business Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

You don't need to be a great military tactician to understand that when fighting a battle you need to hit your opponent where it hurts.

With that in mind, the European Union warned last week that it would retaliate to President Trump's tariffs on European steel and aluminium with import levies of its own on some pretty iconic US products.

Brussels said it planned to introduce retaliatory tariffs on items such as Harley-Davidson motorbikes and bourbon whiskey.

The EU has informed the World Trade Organisation of its intentions, which also includes tariffs on numerous other American exports including Levi's jeans,, external and are now due to come into effect from early July.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

SNP MSP Clare Adamson asks what impact the proposed import tariffs on European steel and aluminium by the United States could have on the steel industry in Scotland.

Image source, HIV Scotland

From the Herald:

An award-winning charity for people living with HIV is under threat of closure after losing its core funding from the Scottish Government, external.

HIV Scotland, external, which has received around £270,000 a year from the Government, informed supporters it had been unsuccessful in a recent bid for resources and had to make redundancies.

Read more here., external

Image source, bbc

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton highlights that HIV is growing in Scotland.

He asks why funding for HIV Scotland has been cut and urges the decision to be revisited.

The first minister says the presentation of the issue in the media and question are "misleading".

In 2017, there was an open round held for sexual health and blood borne virus funding, she explains.

HIV Scotland were not successful in their bid for this funding, she states.

Since then, HIV Scotland has been provided transitional funding for the first four months of this year and the Scottish government is working to ensure it has a sustainable future, she tells the chamber.

Image source, PA

Human rights campaigners have lost a Supreme Court appeal over the legality of Northern Ireland's abortion law.

The court dismissed an appeal brought by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC).

But a majority of judges said the existing law was incompatible with human rights law in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and sexual crime.

Unlike other parts of the UK, the 1967 Abortion Act does not extend to Northern Ireland.

• Rise in NI women travelling for abortions
• Theresa May stuck on NI abortion law
• Irish government to examine NI abortion access

Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale says in Northern Ireland some women have received longer jail sentences for getting an abortion than the men who raped them.

Ms Dugdale asks the first minister to raise the issue of abortion with DUP leader Arlene Foster when she visits Scotland in July.

Ms Sturgeon says she has no plans to meet Arlene Foster and says she support all women having safe access to abortion services including in Northern Ireland.