Ms Sturgeon says prevention of HIV transmission remains a priority in Scotland.

She says a significant risk factor is the sharing of injecting equipment.

The first minister backs the Glasgow proposal for a safe injecting facility and says the Scottish government is pressing the UK government on this.

Mr Stewart says spending has reduced on alcohol and drugs since last year and calls for the governent to provide a single figure for spending across these treatments

Ms Sturgeon says the budget this year will continue to prioritise these areas this year.

According to the Scottish Sun: "Alarming figures show HIV is soaring in Scotland as outbreak among Glasgow drug users ‘shows no sign of slowing’.

"The number of new cases leapt up by 16 per cent between 2016 and last year but dropped by 17 per cent across Britain as a whole."

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Tory MSP Alexander Stewart asks what action the Scottish government is taking in response to reports that there has been the biggest rise in HIV infection in Scotland for three decades.

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SNP MSP Christine Grahame asks if the government has contacted Action on Elder Abuse to make older people aware of the disclosure scheme.

Ms Sturgeon says the disclosure scheme is open to anyone with concerns and says Police Scotland already work with a number of third sector organisations.

Image source, Zero tolerance

Nearly 1,600 people in Scotland have been told about the abusive past of their partners since the introduction of a new law in 2015.

Police Scotland said that 3,500 people in total had made requests for information under the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland (DSDAS).

It was set up in the wake of Clare's Law in England and Wales.

That scheme was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2009.

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The first minister says the scheme has enabled more than 3,500 people to request information for themselves or someone else.

The scheme has informed almost 1,600 people about partners' abusive past, she adds.

Ms Maguire says it is hard to argue this scheme has been anything other than a success.

How will the Scottish government continue to promote this scheme and other support, she asks.

Ms Sturgeon says the scheme is a credit to Police Scotland and victim support organisations.

The Scottish government is investing record levels of funding through a range of frontline services she confirms.

Image source, HANDOUT

In 2015 we reported a scheme which allows people to be told if their partner has been violent in the past was been introduced in Scotland.

It follows a six-month trial in Aberdeen and Ayrshire which saw 22 people warned that their partners had a history of domestic abuse.

Clare's Law was introduced across England and Wales in March 2014.

The initiative is named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her violent ex-boyfriend several years ago.

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SNP MSP Ruth Maguire asks what impact the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland has had since its introduction in 2015.

Tory MSP John Scott points to the Audit Scotland report expressing concerns about whether NHS Ayrshire and Arran can live within it's budget.

Ms Sturgeon says the government is working closely with both NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Highland on the issues raised in the Audit Scotland report.

Image source, Amazon

Online retailing giant Amazon is raising pay for hundreds of thousands of workers in the US and the UK.

Amazon's lowest paid US workers will receive $15 an hour. In the UK, pay will rise from £8.20 an hour in London to £10.50, while outside London the rate rises from £8 an hour to £9.50.

The move comes after criticism of its employment practices, with complaints over its warehouse working conditions.

Amazon has also been attacked by campaigners for how much tax it pays.

Read more here.

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SNP MSP James Dornan seeks an update on the carers allowance supplement.

More than 75,000 carers have now received the first installment of the supplement, confirms the first minister.

She praises the contribution made by carers to society.

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Labour MSP Neil Bibby says Amazon has finally agreed to pay its employees the living wage.

Is the first minister concerned may workers will have to finance their own pay rise and will be worse off, he asks?

Ms Sturgeon welcomes the announcement from Amazons, and says it was her government pressured the firm into making the move.

On share options costing workers, she says the government will seek to meet Amazon over this and if it is happening it is completely unacceptable.

SNP MSP Gil Paterson raises concerns that clinical trials of a new drug taking place at the Golden Jubilee Hospital have stalled due to Brexit.

Ms Sturgeon says the matter is "incredibly serious" and "deeply concerning".

I understand these trials are continuing elsewhere in Europe which underlines the seriousness of this for Scotland, she adds.

The first minister highlights the "very real risk" facing research and staff.

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Willie Rennie says the threat from Brexit is getting serious, citing the car manufacturers who spoke out last week and today's RBS warning about a possible recession.

The first minister is not leading the country, she is falling behind the country says Mr Rennie and yet again calls for her to back the People's Vote campaign.

Ms Stugeon hits back by saying her party would not stand in the way of another Brexit referendum.

But she says Scotland needs the option of independence to ensure Brexit is "not imposed on us".

Image source, Getty Images

RBS chief executive Ross McEwan has warned a no-deal Brexit could tip the UK economy into recession.

He told the BBC a "bad Brexit" could result in "zero or negative" economic growth which would hit RBS's share price.

He also said the bank was becoming careful about lending to certain sectors of the economy - particularly retail and construction.

RBS is still 64% owned by the taxpayer following its bailout 10 years ago.

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"I'm worried about the first minister, she's not quite herself these days," begins Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie.

He says she is "frozen with indecision" over a s0-called People's Vote and suggests she has delayed a decision on another independence referendum.

"I've been worried about Willie Rennie for a long time," retorts the first minister.

The SNP will not stand in the way of another vote on Brexit she says, but she repeats previously raised concerns about what would happen if Scotland again votes to remain and the rest of the UK votes to leave again.

Image source, SNS

Hearts' Scottish League Cup semi-final against Celtic has been moved to Murrayfield in Edinburgh and will kick-off at 13:30 GMT on Sunday, 28 October.

Aberdeen v Rangers will take place on the same day at Hampden at 16:30.

Both matches were originally scheduled to take place in Glasgow, with an early afternoon start for the Dons' meeting with Rangers and an evening kick-off for Hearts v Celtic.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers described the process as "unfair".

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