Community Safety Minister Ash Denham says: "Periodical payments can be an attractive option in certain situations providing a guaranteed payment year on year for the duration of an award.

"The bill will for the first time require courts to consider imposing a periodical payment provided the source of the funding is reasonably secure."

She goes on to move the Damages (Investment Returns and Periodical Payments) (Scotland) Bill.

Community Safety Minister Ash Denham accepts the personal injury discount rate has been subject to criticism for some time.

She highlights high levels of support resulting from the consultation on the proposed changed.

The bill will put in place a new regime for calculating the discount rate, Ms Denham explains, with a regular review of the rate to take place.

A lack of regular review, as is currently the case, is detrimental the all parties she tells the chamber.

But she also accepts calls the three years is unsuitable and confirms she will table an amendment to alter this to five years.

Image source, Getty Images

Community Safety Miniser Ash Denham will now lead the first debate on the Damages (Investment Returns and Periodical Payments) (Scotland) Bill, external.

This bill makes provision in relation to the assumed rate of return on investment of particular damages awarded in personal injury cases.

it also makes provision in relation to periodical payments of various damages awarded in personal injury cases.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie asks what influence the Britton review will have on the speed of fatal accident inquiries in the future, noting we are still waiting for ones on the M9 crash and the Clutha tragedy.

• Lamara Bell and John Yuill died following the crash on the M9 after police call handlers failed to pass on an accident report.
• A fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash in Glasgow is to be held next year.

Mr Yousaf says FAIs are under the remit of the lord advocate and were not the focus of the Britton review.

Money has been given to the Crown to help speed up FAIs he adds, though he accepts there is further discussion to be had on them.

Image source, bbc

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says: "The Britton review found that the mesh review was ill-conceived, thoughtlessly structured and poorly executed, and also raised concerns about the wellbeing of some members taking part in the review."

Ms Johnstone says it found that some members left meetings crying and were traumatised by the publication of the mesh review.

Two patient representatives quit the independent review group looking at the safety of mesh implants.

Olive McIlroy and Elaine Holmes, who both suffered severe complications following mesh implant surgery, claimed the final report had been watered down.

Image source, bbc

Ms Johnstone asks what mechanisms will be put in place to prepare and to support people who will be taking part in what can be a very difficult process.

That will be part of the guidelines replies Mr Yousaf.

The minister reiterates further consideration of the wellbeing of people taking part is absolutely part of the guidance.

He agrees with Ms Johnstone that the wellbeing of those taking part in reviews is absolutely critical

Labour MSP Neil Findlay says the mesh review has caused him the "most angst" of all public inquiries because it was characterised by the issues highlighted in Prof Britton's report.

Will the government implement all of the recommendations from the report, he asks, and how many does the minister accept today?

Is there any intention of revisiting the mesh review, Mr Findlay asks.

He suggests today's statement is "pretty pathetic", calling for the guidance to be brought to parliament and not "sneaked out".

Mr Yousaf says the guidance will be published on the Scottish government's website and says the "vast majority" of recommendations will be accepted.

There are a couple which need further consideration, he adds, arguing that there should not be a centralised unit for inquiries and instead should sit within portfolios.

The government is not going to re-run the mesh review the justice secretary states.

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Mr Yousaf replies to Mr Kerr saying: "There is nothing I can do to take away from the grief that the McClelland family have faced."

The justice secretary says he has met with the family on three occasions to gain a better understanding of the circumstances of Craig's death and to ensure lessons are learned.

The decision to start a public inquiry is a very difficult one he explains and must be done with serious consideration.

He says the government, Police Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service have accepted all 37 recommendations from two inspectorate reviews.

The minister says he will be happy to discuss what more needs to be done after the completion of the ongoing six month review.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Liam Kerr says the Britton report will be valuable and it is good to hear that recommendations will be considered and guidance issued.

Mr Kerr says he was surprised and troubled by the response to the joint letter from Willie Rennie, Daniel Johnson and himself calling for a public inquiry into the tragic death of Craig McClelland.

The family of a Paisley father-of-three are calling for an inquiry into the circumstances that led to his murder.

James Wright stabbed Craig McClelland to death five months after removing his electronic tag and breaching a home curfew.

Wright was jailed for life in June for killing the 31-year-old.

Two independent inspectorate reports have been published and the Scottish government intends to introduce a new law to tighten up the use of tags for convicted prisoners.

Mr Kerr asks what would it take to convince the cabinet secretary to start a public inquiry in this case.

Mr Yousaf says: "I am deeply, deeply sorry that the suffering of those women affected by mesh has been compounded by what went wrong with the process of the review."

He highlights the temporary halt to mesh use unless in exception circumstances and he hopes this goes some way to resolving issues raised by campaigners.

The review of the mesh review will be used to inform all future inquiries, Mr Yousaf confirms.

My officials will be available for support and advice when there are calls for public inquiries, he adds.

The justice secretary says public inquiries are not quick solutions and they can place significant demands on those affected and organisations.

Prof Britton, of Glasgow Caledonian University, was tasked with carrying out that review.

She told the BBC that the perception of independence was critical to maintaining public confidence. She found a "major failing" and omission within the review was that potential conflicts of interest were not declared or even discussed.

She found some members had been paid by the pharmaceutical industry, some were suing and some were being sued.

She said the majority of members ultimately expressed strong "negative" reactions towards their involvement in the review. Some even felt traumatised.

Read more here.

Mr Yousaf says he does not wish to minimise where the mesh review went wrong but stresses the report found that no one was acting in bad faith.

The minister says Professor Britton's review found no evidence to support the claim that evidence was deliberately concealed.

The justice secretary insists the majority of reviews are carried out efficiently with the confidence of the public.

The report does not cast any doubt on the current Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry and the inquiry looking into the Edinburgh Trams, he adds.

Image source, bbc

The original mesh review was commissioned four years ago by former health secretary Alex Neil, after dozens of women spoke in the Scottish Parliament about how transvaginal mesh implants - used mainly to treat incontinence - had ruined their lives and left them in chronic pain.

The review was expected to take six to 12 months. Ultimately it lasted almost three years and, just weeks before it was published in May last year, three members resigned and branded it a whitewash after key warnings about safety were moved to the appendices.

As a result Shona Robison, then health secretary, announced there would be an investigative review to look into how the mesh review reached its conclusions.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf says the government is committed to delivering public services in a transparent way.

When things go wrong, action must be taken and lessons must be learned he says.

But sometimes, public inquiries and reviews are necessary Mr Yousaf adds.

Turning to the recent report on reviews conducted by Prof Alison Britton, he says it brought up many issues worthy of consideration.

He explains the report followed the "missteps" of the independent review of transvaginal mesh implants.

Image source, bbc

A Scottish government-commissioned report, external into the review on mesh implants has found it suffered "systemic" failings and potential conflicts of interest.

Prof Alison Britton has spent more than a year investigating the mesh inquiry.

She was also looking at how similar reviews should be handled in future.

Her report, seen by the BBC, says the original mesh review was "ill-conceived, thoughtlessly structured and poorly executed".

The Scottish government said it would now consider her findings.

Read more here.

Image source, bbc

The Scottish government will now give a statement on the conduct of reviews and inquiries.

This follows an investigative review into the process of establishing, managing and supporting Independent Reviews in Scotland, with particular reference to the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

Image source, AFP

With the UK due to leave the EU in six months, how ready are Scotland's public bodies for Brexit? A BBC Scotland investigation has attempted to find out.

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.

The freedom of information requests revealed widespread concerns about the potential loss of EU migrants from the workforce.

Publicly funded organisations including the NHS, universities and councils are also weighing up a range of other potential Brexit challenges and opportunities.

Click here for the key findings from the investigation, broken down by sector.