Sports Minister Joe Fitzpatrick says a culture in which healthy behaviours are the norm throughout people’s lives is needed.

Only by doing that can we ensure people are more active, more often, he states.

Through investment in facilities, we are increasing opportunities for people across Scotland to take part in sport, asserts the minister.

Mr Fitzpatrick says in order for children from all background to benefit, the Scottish government has invested in PE in schools.

Figures from September indicated a rise in participation in the active schools programme, he highlights.

The sports minister says females make up 48% of the programme and he celebrates the fact the more young women than young men take up leadership in sport opportunities.

Image source, Scottish parliament

Image source, bbc

MSPs will now debate Women and Girls in Sport Week.

No doubt there will be a great deal of praise of Scotland's women's football team, who recently topped their qualifying group for the World Cup next summer.

Read more:

• All players to be full-time up to World Cup with Government funding
• Shelley Kerr's squad 'can go all the way' at World Cup
• 'Girls are absolutely good enough'

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says delayed discharge got worse this week, despite the Scottish government committing to end it three years ago.

Will this framework help with this? he asks.

Ms Freeman says the waiting times plan will be brought forward in coming weeks, which has ties with delayed discharge.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone welcomes the move to a third-year cycle and that the government will not seek to recover brokerage.

She says planning requires health boards to have the best data to forecast demand, and asks what the government is doing to support this.

The health secretary agrees and accepts there has not been enough triangulation of data we have yet.

“We are now beginning work on that.”

Image source, SPL

Scotland's auditor general has said she has "serious reservations" about the ability of two health boards to balance their books.

Audit Scotland reports on NHS Highland, external and NHS Ayrshire and Arran, external warn they may not deliver services within budget or meet all savings targets.

The watchdog said the health boards required millions of pounds in loans from the Scottish government.

The report said significant challenges were likely to remain in coming years.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar welcomes the new framework.

He goes on to highlight the £1bn savings boards are expected to making over the next three years and asks about the impact of today’s announcement on this.

Mr Sarwar also wonders about the effect on integrated joint board (IJB) budgets.

The health secretary says the savings required by boards are retained by boards for allocation to other areas of spend.

“These are not cuts, these are savings we ask boards to make,” she insists.

On IJB budgets, she highlights that these are already on a three-year funding plan and this announcement will put boards on the same footing as IJBs.

Where boards find they require additional skills, they are encouraged to engage with government officials, Ms Freeman explains.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs argues Treasury figures indicate health spending increases in England are outstripping those in Scotland.

Can the cabinet secretary outline why ministers have “short changed” the NHS when the UK government has investment record funding? he asks.

He also expresses concern about centralisation of the health services and asks about the NHS estate review.

Ms Freeman insists health spending in Scotland is 7.1% higher than in England as a whole.

“This government is not short-changing anyone.”

She urges the Scottish Conservatives to take part in a “mature” discussion.

Image source, Getty Images

Increasing funding alone will not be sufficient to meet the challenges which lie ahead, the health secretary warns.

Ms Freeman expresses concern about the impact of Brexit on the existing and potential workforce.

More investment must be twinned with reform of services, she tells the chamber.

Ms Freeman announces NHS boards will now be offered a three-year financial planning framework, rather than annual.

For the new deal to be successful, it needs a new start, she says, confirming she will not seek to recover any outstanding brokerage.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman begins by highlighting the 70th anniversary of the NHS this year.

There is much to celebrate but we must also look ahead to ensure we are fit for the future, she adds.

Ms Freeman says this statement will outline the financial climate and expectations for future demand.

The Medium Term Health and Social Care Financial Framework, external has been published today.

It sets out the financial environment until 2023-24, Ms Freeman explains.

However, she warns that the implications of the UK government's announcements regarding health funding in June remain unclear.

The Scottish government remains committed to passing on health consequentials in full, she adds.

Image source, bbc

Health Secretary Jeanne Freeman will deliver a ministerial statement entitled 'Health and Care Update'.

Image source, SNS GROUP/SFA ROB CASEY

Join us at 2:30pm for a ministerial statement on health and care.

Then the Scottish government leads a debate highlighting Women and Girls in Sport Week.

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell says welfare reforms have focused on reducing welfare for families with children, specifically pointing to the two-child cap.

The Scottish government has taken steps to mitigate these reductions, she states.

Ms Campbell says the child poverty delivery plan recognises that tackling poverty comes under the remit of several portfolios.

The plan is already making progress, such as leading to an agreement for a minimum £100 for school clothing grants, she states.

Labour MSP Neil Findlay asks about an increasing child benefits by £5.

Ms Campbell says the Scottish government wants to target investment to lift people out of poverty and she insists the policy mentioned by Mr Findlay is not the best option for this.

She agrees with the point made by previous members that a country as prosperous as the UK should not still have such high levels of poverty.

Image source, Getty Images

• Of the 230,000 children living in poverty, 90,000 were in a family where someone - usually an adult - was disabled or had a medical condition that limits what they can do
• 30,000 youngsters were living in a family where one adult - usually the mother - was not in work
• A further 30,000 children in single parent households are also affected
• Just over 15,000 children of lone parents who worked part-time were in poverty
• Almost 15,000 children were in a family where one of the couple worked full time and the other worked part-time

Image source, Getty Images

Child poverty in Scotland can only be eradicated if there is a change in attitudes towards flexible work, according to a leading charity.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has estimated one in four Scots children - almost 250,000 - are living in poverty.

It has called for action from the Scottish and UK governments.

It said a shift in attitudes and policy was needed on childcare, flexible work and benefits to ensure parents were not "locked out" of the jobs market.

Read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

In March we reported poverty rates in Scotland were continuing to rise, according to official figures.

In each year between 2014 and 2017, one million people in Scotland, external were 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 here.

This year’s key messages are as follows:

Challenge Poverty in Scotland? Aye, we can!

• Poverty exists in Scotland and affects us all
• Poverty can be solved by boosting incomes and reducing costs
• Solving poverty is about ensuring we can all participate in society