Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell says it is "disappointing and sad" that Our Power has ceased trading.

The Scottish government's immediate response is to protect customers she says, and confirms no customer will be cut off as a result.

Ms Campbell says employees will also be supported to find new jobs.

When were ministers first told of the company's cash flow problems, asks Mr Cole-Hamilton.

The government were informed of collection difficulties on 21 December, replies the cabinet secretary.

The Scottish government had provided a loan of more than £9.5m to Our Power over the years she says, but adds that it did deliver over that time.

Image source, Getty Images

Edinburgh-based Our Power, which has 38,000 customers, has gone out of business.

Its website said the interests of customers would be protected and power supplies were "secure".

The jobs of 70 members of staff at the not-for-profit company are at risk. An administrator is expected to be appointed on 31 January.

The Scottish government is thought to have lost nearly £10m in loans to the failed energy supplier.

Read more here.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton seeks a response to the not-for-profit energy supply company, Our Power, going out of business.

Brogan Carberry and Zaina Bouazza from the Holocaust Educational Trust, external are delivering today's time for reflection.

That's all from the health committee today - it will consider further amendments to the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill at its next meeting.

After lunch there will be a topical question on the closure of Our Power, an Edinburgh-based energy supplier.

Image source, Getty Images

Then Health Secretary Jeane Freeman will update MSPs on St John’s paediatric services, with the children’s ward having been partially closed since summer 2017.

The Scottish government leads a debate on its strategy for tackling social isolation and loneliness.

Tory MSP Graham Simpson will lead a member’s debate on ‘Housing Through the Lens of Ageing' this evening.

Image source, SPL

The public are being urged to back a campaign for tougher legislation to ensure there are enough nurses to deliver high-quality patient care.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland said the latest NHS workforce data, external showed the highest number of nursing vacancies ever reported.

It said its members were at "breaking point" and it was "time for change".

The Scottish government said the number of nurses and midwives had increased by 5.7% since 2007.

The "Ask for more" campaign is being run by the RCN throughout the autumn as MSPs undertake their initial work on the bill.

Read more.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone explains her amendment 91 seeks to ensure senior charge nurses have the time to fulfill their clinical leadership role by not being counted in the number of staff providing direct care.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman suggests putting the provision in primary legislation would be inappropriate and inflexible.

She says while such a move may be appropriate in some places, smaller wards with smaller numbers of staff might not require the senior charge nurses to be taken off patient care.

Ms Johnstone says a survey by RCN found that only a quarter of senior charge nurses were non-caseload holding.

There is a shortage of nurses so we must ensure staff have time for their leadership duties, she insists.

The amendment is passed (5 MSPs voted for it and 4 against it).

Image source, Thinkstock

The Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill seeks to place an existing workforce planning tool onto a statutory footing.

It will also see staff planning methods be used on social care settings, such as care homes.

Health boards are responsible for assessing the needs of their own populations using a set of 12 tools, which have existed since 2004. These are focused on nursing and midwifery.

Should the legislation pass, the tools will become mandatory for health boards and social care providers to use - though it is not yet clear what would happen if they did not meet their duties.

Read more about the bill in the SPICe briefing., external

Moving to amendments on agency workers, Laboour MSP David Stewart is speaking to an amendment on behalf of colleague Anas Sarwar.

He highlights agency nurses can be paid up to three times at much as NHS nurses, so this amendment seeks to cap what NHS boards can pay individuals, he tells the committee.

Ms Freeman agrees private companies must not be able to profit from the health service.

However she highlights that by the time boards consider using agency staff, they have already looked at other options. There must also be clinical advice that patient safety would be compromised without.

The amendment is withdrawn with the agreement Mr Sarwar and Ms Freeman will work together to resolve the issue.

Ms Freeman says she cannot support an amendment lodged by Tory MSP Miles Briggs.

She explains that her own amendments deal with many of the same issues, but Mr Briggs' amendment appears to delegate responsibility without delegating legal accountability.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs insists nursing leaders have the skills to make key decisions, arguing having a designated person relating to appropriate staffing would be helpful.

But he accepts Ms Freeman's offer to work with him on improving this amendment at stage 3.

The committee is discussing amendments relating to real-time staffing assessment and the risk escalation process.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman explains her amendments put a duty on bodies to have arrangements for real-time assessment of staffing requirements and any associated risks in place.

Any member of staff must be able to identify and report such a risk, she says.

Health boards will also have a duty to create a report on how they have fulfilled their assessment duties, thus improving accountability, Ms Freeman adds.

Image source, SPL

The committee is now discussing the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill, external and considering proposed stage two amendments.

The bill was unanimously agreed at stage one in December.

Click here for the marshalled list of amendments, external and here for groupings, external.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman gives evidence to the committee.

Image source, SPL

The Health and Sport Committee, external is considering the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill at stage two.

The bill seeks to legislate to ensure safe levels of staffing in both health and social care settings.

Read the committee's papers here., external

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning and welcome to Holyrood Live on Tuesday 29 January 2019!

The health committee will consider a raft of amendments to the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Bill as stage 2 gets underway this morning.

Image source, Getty Images

After topical questions, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman will update MSPs on St John’s paediatric services, with the children’s ward having been partially closed since summer 2017.

The Scottish government will then lead a debate on its strategy for tackling social isolation and loneliness.

Tory MSP Graham Simpson will lead a member’s debate on ‘Housing Through the Lens of Ageing' this evening.