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Specialist doctors in the UK will be able to legally prescribe cannabis-derived medicinal products by autumn, the home secretary has announced.

Those that meet safety and quality standards are to be made legal for patients with an "exceptional clinical need", Sajid Javid said.

The new rules apply to Scotland, England and Wales.

As it is a devolved matter, it will require legislative change before it is enforced in Northern Ireland.

Legalisation follows high-profile cases involving severely epileptic children.

Read more here.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon raises the case of six-year-old Cole Thomson from East Kilbride, who suffers from epileptic seizures.

She calls for medical cannabis to be prescribed.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says such prescriptions rely on changes to the medical regulator at UK level, though she agrees to look into the case further.

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Labour MSP Mark Griffin ask the Scottish Government whether it will rule out the delivery of Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance by the DWP under agency arrangements.

Mr Griffin says people with a disability want an end to the DWP's involvement in disability benefits.

Social Security Shirley-Anne Somerville explains there is a joint programme with the DWP going forward and the overall priority is to ensure there is a safe transition.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey highlights the national rural mental health forum which was established in 2017.

Membership is now over 60 organisations, and the forum meets regularly to discuss how to tackle issues like social isolation she adds.

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur raises concerns about capacity issues on Orkney.

Ms Haughey says she is aware of ward closures and the government is working with NHS Grampian.

Tory MSP Annie Wells highlights the high rates of suicide in the agriculture sector and asks about support for farmers.

The suicide strategy is highlighted and Ms Haughey confirms this includes a review of deaths by occupation.

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish asks the Scottish Government what its strategy is for tackling mental health issues in rural areas.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged an extra £250m for mental health services as she announced her plans for the coming year at Holyrood in September.

Do you see any opportunities for your organisations or structures within the process, asks Tory MSP Alexander Stewart.

NFU Scotland's Clare Slipper says leaving the common agricultural policy and making a new arrangement fit for Scotland could be a "real prize" as long as the budget is there.

Paul Buckley says a new, more flexible framework for medical regulation is possible - and this was something called for long before Brexit was even talked about.

And on that note, the committee moves to private session.

Chris Yarsley from the Freight Transport Association tells the committee that association members are "very clear" that they only want to switch one time.

He says we cannot have one switch by one transition and another in a couple more years.

He adds that whatever we move to "has to be it".

The economic impact of Brexit has been keeping the modellers busy. On one day, the UK Treasury and Bank of England both published estimates of how different Brexit arrangements might be expected to go, the day after the Scottish government updated its figures.

Convener Joan McAlpine asks the committee about Scotland's potential "disadvantage" when compared to the Northern Ireland backstop arrangement.

Clare Slipper from NFU Scotland says there will likely be some implications for trade flows.

She highlights her colleagues in the Ulster Farmer's Union have welcomed the arrangement, however.

Matt Lancashire from SCDI says while he cannot comment on the Northern Irish economy, there are issues around the withdrawal deal not including any sort of customs union for all the UK.

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The prime minister was in Scotland yesterday as she sought to build support for her Brexit deal ahead of next month's vote in the Commons.

Theresa May insisted that the deal will protect jobs and provide new opportunities for exporters as she met factory workers in Renfrewshire.

Her Brexit agreement won the support of EU leaders at the weekend.

But it has faced strong criticism from opposition parties - as well as from many of her own MPs.

The prime minister's visit comes a couple of days after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unveiled an analysis paper which claimed that the Brexit deal could cost Scotland £9bn a year by 2030, compared to if it had remained in the EU.

Ms Sturgeon, who wants the UK to remain permanently in the single market and customs union and has backed calls for another referendum on the Brexit terms, has said the SNP's 35 MPs at Westminster will vote against the deal on 11 December.

• Brexit will make UK worse off, government warns
• Sturgeon: Brexit deal will make Scots poorer
• A guide to where we are with Brexit

Kamal Ahmed
Economics editor

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Chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-injected beef should be part of a UK/US free trade deal, a farming union said.

Roger Johnson, president of America's National Farmers Union, said US food was "perfectly safe" and there had been a lot of "fear-mongering".

The politically-influential union represents more than 200,000 US farms.

Mr Johnson also told the BBC that a free trade deal would open up the huge US market to British products in a boost for UK farmers.

Read more.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson asks about maintaining regulation and standards in farming.

He wonders if there are concerns that industry standards could be "traded off" to secure deals with other countries, pointing to chlorinated chicken as an example.

Clare Slipper from NFU Scotland says it is a concern that in the push for expediency, things may fall off the UK government's radar.

Cheaper imports produced to a lower standard flooding the market could have a "catastrophic" impact, she adds.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

The BBC asked 80 public bodies in Scotland for details of their Brexit preparations and any impact assessments they have carried out, ahead of the planned exit on 29 March 2019.

Here are the key findings from the investigation.

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The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) has been considering possible Brexit effects on EU students, funding and research.

In 2015/16, 22,405 EU nationals studying in Scotland were entitled to Scottish government funding.

A confidential SFC paper from October 2017 assumes that "equal treatment of Scottish and EU students will cease to apply" after Brexit.

That, the paper said, would give ministers options including the "release of around £95m of teaching grant and fees for other Scottish government priorities".

All EU students starting courses in Scotland in 2019/20 or before will have their tuition fees paid throughout their studies.

Both the Student Awards Agency and the Scottish Qualifications Authority have highlighted the need for greater clarity on the implications of Brexit.

"What the UK government decides on immigration is absolutely vital," says Alistair Sim from Universities Scotland.

He expresses disappointment about the Migration Advisory Committee's (MAC) proposal to put in place an income threshold.

Mr Sim also says it was disappointing the MAC did not back a post-study work visa, given it does have cross-party support.

Chris Yarsley of the Freight Transport Association also suggests the £30,000 threshold is concerning because many people working in logistics will not earn that much.

Green MSP Ross Greer asks whether the withdrawal agreement will leave any sector in a better place than it is at the moment.

Chris Yarsley of the Freight Transport Association says the deal will leave us in the exact same situation because it moves us to a transition period, but after than it is unclear.

No other witness moves to add anything further, leading SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson to comment: "The silence says it all."

Tory MSP Jamie Greene asks about opportunities around farm funding.

Clare Slipper from NFU Scotland says Brexit is an opportunity to re-look at how common agricultural policy is shared across the UK.

That said, there is some concern about what funding will be available for farming beyond 2022, she adds.

The funding can be much better targeted than it is now, Ms Slipper explains.

She warns that "crashing out of the EU" would be the worst possible scenario.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

The BBC asked 80 public bodies in Scotland for details of their Brexit preparations and any impact assessments they have carried out, ahead of the planned exit on 29 March 2019.

Here are the key findings from the investigation.

Image source, Getty Images

A detailed briefing paper by Transport Scotland from March 2018 raises concerns about road haulage to the continent after Brexit.

The document anticipates increased truck checks at the Channel ports, even if there's not a "physical border".

It suggests this would cause particular problems for Scottish hauliers who come close to the legal limit for driver hours when travelling from the central belt to Dover or Channel Tunnel.

According to Transport Scotland, "the impact of any further delay at customs might be more than marginal leading to the need for an overnight stop" and additional haulage costs.