Finance Secretary Derek Mackay confirms he has just returned to parliament from Dundee following a range of meetings with workforce representatives and Dundee City Council.

I will continue to engage with these groups and the UK government as we explore options for the site, he says.

Describing the news as "devastating", Mr Mackay says the government will leave no stone unturned in efforts to keep the plant operational.

We will work with unions and local management to provide the best possible support to the workforce.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra asks the Scottish government what talks it has had with management at the Michelin factory in Dundee, the trade unions and Dundee City Council regarding the future of the plant.

Image source, Getty Images

MSPs will now get the chance to question the Scottish government about their response to the news Michelin has announced its intention to close the plant in Dundee, with the loss of all 845 jobs.

Factory workers have spoken of their shock that the tyre factory will close by mid-2020 after the French firm deemed it "unsuitable" in the current climate.

Scotland's economy secretary Derek Mackay said he will convene an action group to "explore all options to secure a sustainable future for the site."

Workers were sent home until Thursday following a meeting at the factory.

Some employees told BBC Scotland they were angry that they first learned about the decision from the media on Monday.

• A dark day in Dundee
• Michelin in Dundee: Wheel of misfortune

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Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell insists: "Universal Credit, the UK government's flagship policy, is in crisis."

Ms Campbell says Michelle Ballantyne called people customers and therein lies the problem, keeping it "inhuman".

The argument that the Scottish government should take money from its budget to "plug the gap" is not acceptable.

She argues the Scottish government has taken "significant action" to mitigate welfare cuts, for example fully mitigating the "bedroom tax".

Tory MSP Adam Tomkins argues Universal Credit is based on sound principles and is "revolutionary".

We now have a system that is tailored to each persons' needs and skills, he says.

"Universal Credit has always ensured that work pays and now it pays even more," the Tory MSP insists.

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Labour MSP Pauline McNeill says Universal Credit is in crisis and Conservative MSPs know it.

Ms McNeill stresses this is a Universal Credit is a "flawed system" which "is not working".

The Labour MSP says: "These design flaws are hurting people."

Green MSP Alison Johnstone recalls comments made by Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, who said the 'rape clause' was an opportunity for victims to get help.

Ms Johnstone says: "This is not the outlet that women who have been traumatised in such a shocking way need."

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Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says: "This is no longer about a system that is unravelling, it is about a system whose fundamental fabric is ruined and unmendable."

Mr Cole-Hamilton stresses: "These are human lives we're talking about, not lab rats."

Hannah Richardson
BBC News education and social affairs reporter

In June, a finance watchdog said the UK government's flagship benefits system has been too slow to roll out, causes hardship, and is not delivering value for money.

The National Audit Office said, external the £1.9bn Universal Credit system could end up costing more to administer than the benefits system it is replacing.

Some claimants waited eight months for payment amid the switch to UC, which rolls six benefits into one, it adds.

The government said UC would bring a £34bn return over 10 years.

Read more.

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The UK government has been asked to reimburse a local authority for the costs it has incurred as a result of implementing universal credit.

Highland Council said it was facing costs of almost £2.5m due to the benefit change.

It said causes of this debt included increased council tenant rent arrears and less grant funding from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The council and MP Drew Hendry have called on the government to step in.

Read more.

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The UK government has been accused of presiding over a "culture of indifference" about the hardship caused by universal credit.

A committee of MPs said "denial and defensiveness" by the Department for Work and Pensions was a significant risk to the flagship welfare reform.

Universal credit is leading to increased debt, rent arrears and food bank use, the MPs said.

The DWP said it would consider the report and had already made changes.

Read more.

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Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton praises the powerful testimony of Mark Griffin and insists his party would not deny a normal family life to those in poverty.

This is why his party opposed the two child cap when in coalition, says Mr Cole-Hamilton.

"We should listen to the casualties who have suffered so far due to the botched roll-out."

He says the Conservatives, governing unencumbered by the Lib Dems, put fiscal savings above all.

The Lib Dem MSP warns against delays to payments, which are legion, and will hit families over Christmas.

Image source, Scottish Pariament

Image source, Getty Images

Welfare payments are turning the clock back to the 1950s and allowing abusers to control family finances, MPs say.

Under Universal Credit, payments are made to one person per household, often leaving abuse victims and their children dependent, a report, external by the Work and Pensions Committee said.

One abuse survivor said she feared the new system could leave her and her children with "nothing for weeks".

The government said abuse support teams are on hand in every Jobcentre.

Read more.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says that in passing the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act last year, this parliament made it clear that children growing up without access to the things they need is unacceptable.

The cuts to welfare risk undermining this ambition and progress we have made, she says.

Relative child poverty is forecast to soar to 38% by the mid-2020s due in large part to cuts to benefits for working families, she highlights.

"Universal Credit is quite deliberately creating millions of winners and millions of losers," the Green MSP says.

Ms Johnstone states the cuts to social security disproportionately reduces the income of women.

The impact that can have on domestic abuse victims is highlighted by the Green MSP.

Image source, Scottish parliament