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The UK government has offered MSPs assurances that post-Brexit trade deals will not put food standards and protections for the NHS at risk.

MPs are working on a Trade Bill to set out how the UK will do business around the world after leaving the EU in 2019.

UK Trade Minister George Hollingberry told MSPs that standards would not be compromised to secure free trade deals.

But Scottish Brexit Secretary Mike Russell said leaving would "immensely weaken" the UK's position in talks.

Protesters gathered outside the Scottish Parliament to raise concerns about the issue, with people dressed as chickens engaging in a tug of war against others wearing masks depicting Theresa May, Trade Secretary Liam Fox, and US President Donald Trump.

The Scottish and UK governments remain at odds over the EU Withdrawal Bill, the first big piece of Brexit legislation, which was passed at Westminster despite MSPsrefusing to give their backing to it.

Scottish ministers have said they willnot put future Brexit bills forward for consentvotes at Holyrood until this row is resolved.

Read more here.

The Scottish government has announced plans for 12 new bills during the 2018-19 session of the Scottish Parliament, external:

• Biometric Data Bill
• Budget Bill
• Census (Amendment) Bill
• Consumer Protection Bill
• Disclosure Bill
• Electoral Franchise Bill
• Electoral Reform Bill
• Family Law Bill
• Female Genital Mutilation Bill
• Non-Domestic Rates Bill
• Scottish National Investment Bank Bill
• South of Scotland Enterprise Agency Bill

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur says the announcements on mental health and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are particularly welcome.

However he suggests the Scottish government has scaled back its ambitions in relation to child poverty, child obesity and biodiversity.

He expresses concern that few of the promises made on infrastructure will have a direct impact in rural areas, particularly the islands.

The passing of the Islands (Scotland) Act "is not job done", he states, and urges the Scottish government to deal with the "mess" regarding road equivalent tariffs.

The first minister announced £7bn of capital spending by 2026, with extra investment in infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, transport, digital connectivity and clean energy.

She said her government had a "national mission" to produce "a level of investment in our vital economic and social infrastructure that will protect and create jobs in the short term, and support growth and productivity in the long term".

A new export growth plan was also pledged.

The first minister also pledged an extra £250m for mental health services and set out details of 12 new bills in her "programme for government" as MSPs returned from summer recess.

Mental health support for young people and increased capital investment were among the key measures announced.

Opposition parties said the government was being too timid, and had failed to follow through on previous promises.

• What new laws are the Scottish government planning?
• Brian Taylor: An outbreak of body language
• Back to the day job for MSPs
• Look back on the speech on Holyrood Live

Green MSP Andy Wightman welcomes proposed bills on consumer protection, electoral reform and family law.

Mr Wightman also welcomes the legislation for the investment bank.

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Mr Wightman argues economic growth is a fundamentally flawed goal if measured by GDP.

It does not measure the distribution of income and wealth and ignores the environment, he explains.

Mr Wightman says there is no ambition in the PfG for Scotland to have genuine local autonomy, with modest proposals for a tourist tax kicked further down the road.

However he welcomes Public Finance Minister Kate Forbes confirming earlier that this will be part of the budget negotiations.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie says yesterday's statement from the first minister sounded more like a shopping list than a cohesive programme.

She also argues the Scottish government has been "timid" though welcomes efforts to refresh various economic policies.

"Our economy is fragile," she states, and points to forecasts which indicate slow growth will continue.

While welcoming a new focus on exports, Ms Baillie asserts strengthening our domestic market is as important as looking further afield.

The Labour MSP expresses concern about the lack of mention of productivity.

On infrastructure, she calls for more investment than is currently promised to be made.

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SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson says in 1964 he personally worked in mental health for eight months as a nurse, and his father in law is a psychiatric nurse, as is his sister in law.

That is why he supports investing in mental health at an early stage to improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser argues the export growth, being championed by the Scottish government, is actually a result of the falling pound, which is due to Brexit.

He also suggests Brexit has created "boom conditions" for tourism by making it cheaper to holiday in Scotland.

Mr Fraser accepts there has been some issue in, for example, staff recruitment as a result of Brexit, but he insists saying Brexit has been all bad is unfair.

Turning to the Barclay review, he argues this was a missed opportunity for a more fundamental overhaul of business rates.

Specifically, he speaks about rates on independent schools and argues removal of the exemption is "illogical".

Mr Fraser expresses concern that removing the exemption would most negatively affect specialist schools, arguing it will be difficult to draw a line.

He argues independent schools often make a significant contribution to local economy.

Brian Taylor
BBC Scotland Political Editor

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Body language has a considerable role to play in parliamentary discourse. One thinks of dismissive hand gestures or the occasional satirical smile.

We witnessed a different - but still significant - variant of the genre in play at Holyrood today.

It emerged during one of the opposition speeches, that of Willie Rennie, he who has the enviable task of shepherding the Liberal Democrats.

Nicola Sturgeon had set out her programme for government. It was delivered, mostly, in a deliberately workaday fashion, perhaps in recognition of the presumption that mid-Brexit Scotland is in no mood for flamboyance.

• What new laws are the Scottish government planning?
• Back to the day job for MSPs
• Look back on the speech on Holyrood Live
• Read more from Brian here

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Economy Secretary Derek Mackay begins by highlighting the £1.5bn more for infrastructure spending by the end of the next parliament.

This means, in total, more than £7bn of investment over the period, he explains.

The minister believes this is "gamechanger".

Mr Mackay goes on to say: "We will build a bank that Scotland is proud of."

He pivots to the Non-Domestic Rates Bill, which will implement the recommendations of the Barclay Review.

Economic growth has been higher than the rest of the UK says Mr Mackay, at which point Murdo Fraser intervenes to point out reports of a subdued outlook for growth and questions the minister's enthusiasm.

"I'm just enthusiastic because we're outperforming the United Kingdom," replies the economy secretary.

Image source, Andrew Milligan

The second installment of the debate on the programme for government 2018-19 is beginning now.

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Lib Dem MSP Tavish Scott profoundly disagrees that testing five year olds is compatible with the play model.

Mr Scott also questions whether the data is of any use whatsoever.

Mr Swinney takes a different view arguing all the evidence suggests the earlier challenges facing children are identified, the quicker the attainment gap can be closed.

The education secretary says the assessments are an integral part of trying to address the challenges young people face.

Green MSP Ross Greer says international evidence suggests P1 testing is not helpful and urges the government to scrap them.

Mr Swinney argues it is important that teachers have an opportunity to identify early on in a child's education if there are any issues with that child's learning.

"I don't want to preside over an education system in which the needs of children are left unmet."

He insists standardised assessments at P1 will simply be used to support children and ensure no one falls behind their peers.