Good night from the Holyrood Live team on Wednesday 9 January 2019.

The Scottish government intends to place a limit on the number of dogs which can be used to flush out foxes.

Rural Affairs Minister Mairi Gougeon confirmed in a statement today that legislation will be tabled to ensure only two dogs can be used.

But the government will also explore a licensing scheme for using more than two dogs when it is deemed necessary for pest control.

The measure follows the Lord Bonomy review, which made a series of recommendations on improving the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

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International Development Minister Ben Macpherson joins the unanimous praise of the Currie Balerno Rotary Club and the Turing Trust.

Mr Macpherson says the government has provided funding to the Turing Trust under the small grants programme.

He says this support was specifically for work in Malawi and has produced IT hubs in 200 rural schools there.

The minister praises the power of the partnership working between the Rotary Club and the Turing Trust.

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Green MSP Alison Johnstone also paises the work of the Currie Balerno Rotary Club and the Edinburgh based Turing Trust.

Ms Johnstone warns that e-waste from Europe is exported to emerging countries and a significant proportion is not safely processed.

The Green MSP explains that is why the work of the Rotary Club and the Turing Trust is recycilng the computers and providing them to countries like Malawi is is so important, having an environmental and life enhancing impact.

Tory MSP Gordon Lindhurst says equipping people with technology and support to work in a global environment is key to tackling poverty in Africa.

Computer access is essential, as is the generosity of those who donate them, he adds.

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SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald praises the work of the Currie Balerno Rotary Club who are in the gallery tonight.

The SNP MSP also praises the Turing Trust for its efforts delivering IT resources to Africa.

Last year over 4,200 second hand PCs were sent to the continent, he explains.

The computers have all been wiped and have a tremendous impact on the classrooms they end up in, he explains.

He calls on the parliament to donate its computers to the Turing Trust when they are replaced.

Image source, Turing Trust

The Turing Trust aims to support education in sub-Saharan Africa be reusing computers from the UK.

It provides schools in Africa with digital education opportunities, as well as being beneficial to the environment.

The Rotary Club of Currie Balerno has been supporting the Turing Trust for the past six years.

It has donated and delivered over 4,000 computers to schools in Ghana, Malawi and other African countries.

Read more about the Turing Trust here. , external

SNP MSP Gordan MacDonald is leading a debate on the Rotary Club of Currie Balerno sending old PCs to schools in Africa.

Here is the motion.

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The Scottish Conservative amendment is defeated, with 29 votes for and 92 against.

The Scottish Labour amendment is agreed unanimously, as is the final Scottish government motion as amended.

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Scottish dementia app developer MindMate has teamed up with an Australian biotech firm working on new treatments for people suffering from Alzheimer's, the BBC report in July.

MindMate's software will be used by Actinogen Medical to recruit patients for a "pioneering" clinical trial.

It wants to prove the effectiveness of a new drug in Alzheimer's patients.

The drug - Xanamem - aims to inhibit the excess production of the stress hormone cortisol in the brain.

Read more here.

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Correspondent

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Clinical trials of a new heart drug have been stopped in the UK because of concerns over Brexit, the BBC reported in October.

Medical research firm Recardio was due to try the drug dutogliptin on patients in Clydebank, Leeds and Exeter.

It has suspended all UK activities due to uncertainty about how new medicines will be approved after Brexit.

The department of health said it was confident the UK would continue to have the "best possible environment" for clinical trials.

Read more here.

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Scotland is to get its own £15.8m artificial intelligence (AI) health research centre.

The Glasgow-based centre will look at how AI could improve patient diagnosis and treatment.

It will bring together experts to explore using AI in the treatment of strokes and some cancers.

It is hoped that using technology to process large amounts of data will allow the health service to operate more quickly and efficiently.

Read more.

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The BBC reports in June that a multi-million-pound drug manufacturing "innovation centre" is to be located in Renfrewshire.

The £56m plant near Glasgow Airport is expected to support 80 highly-skilled jobs within five years.

The first centre of its kind in the world, it is also predicted to attract £80m of research and development investment by 2028.

The work to be carried out is expected to speed up the rate at which new drugs come on to the market.

Read more here.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says the life sciences sector has been a major success story for Scotland but it is deeply worried about Brexit now.

It needs access to the best staff across Europe and the world, and requires the transfer of materials Mr Rennie tells the chamber.

He highlights 70% of research assistants at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research are from the EU, with its staff representing 30 different nationalities.

Why on earth are we putting any doubt in these workers' minds, he asks.

Mr Leonard explains his amendment highlights the importance of trade unions.

He calls for the establishment of strategy sector forums, which would bring together private companies, universities, trade unions and other stakeholders.

The Scottish Labour leader insists this would help boost productivity and improve skills.

We want to see barriers facing women in the sector removed, he adds.

Image source, bbc

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard says there is enormous potential for growth in the life sciences sector.

Mr Leonard points out the sector provides good quality jobs, but it must have a planned approach through an industrial strategy, not be left to market forces.

The Scottish Labour MSP warns against allowing Scotland's research to lead to economic gain overseas.

"Failure to secure a trade deal with the EU could result in a risk to medicine and clinical trials, " he says.

Mr Leonard suggests it is not just research that is at risk but also health and safety.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

The UK government has announced a new life science sector deal.

The deal is designed to encourage research into disease detection, including what future role genomics and AI-powered diagnosis might have.

It will also establish a new research programme, studying five million people to develop diagnostic tests.

Involving the NHS, industry and leading charities, the study will be the largest ever of its kind.

Click here to view the deal., external

Mr Lockhart points to investment in the biotech sector, especially through the UK sector deal.

Pivoting to income tax, he insists the tax gap will result in lower recruitment within the sector.

He urges the Scottish government to use its budget 2019-20 to ensure this gap is closed.

The Tory MSP also expresses concerns about the number of science teachers in schools, pointing to a record number of vacancies.

Image source, bbc

Tory MSP Dean Lockhart agrees with the minister that Scotland has one of the most dynamic life sciences sectors in Europe.

Mr Lockhart stresses that it is not just the private sector that is driving innovation, but also universities and the NHS.

He says the extra UK government funding for the NHS will help boost the life science sector.

More needs to be done to release the enormous potential in Scottish life sciences.

Image source, Scottish Parliament