New rules are set to change access to pension credit.

From 15 May, pensioners will no long be able to apply for pension credit if their partner is of working age.

At the moment the benefit can be claimed to top up income when the older partner in a couple reaches the qualifying state pension age. It will switch to when the younger person in the relationship qualifies.

Pensioners with younger partners who are already on pension credit or pension-age Housing Benefit will not be affected by the change while their entitlement remains.

The announcement was made via a written statement by Pensions Minister Guy Opperman which was published in January.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson says that a loss of over £7,000 could "devastate a couple's finance".

He suggests the UK government "sneaked out" the announcement on the first Brexit meaningful vote.

It's shocking that the UK government does not believe that it could cause couples under financial pressure to separate, he argues.

Mr Gibson also reflects on the gendered impact of the change because, he says, it will hit the same group of women impacted by the increase to state pension age.

Reducing the incomes of older people will force some to have to choose between heating and eating, and local authorities and health services will be left to pick up the pieces the SNP MSP warns.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson is leading a debate to highlight changes to pension credit impacting mixed-age couples.

Here is his motion.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Green MSP Mark Ruskell asks if just two fisheries protection vessels are enough to prevent plundering of our marine area.

The first minister accepts that this needs to be looked at on an ongoing basis.

Tory MSP Maurice Golden asks the first minister to instigate a biodiversity baseline.

Ms Sturgeon says the government will report to the environment committee before the end of this year.

Image source, Getty Images

On land, in the seas, in the sky, the devastating impact of humans on nature is laid bare in a compelling UN report.

One million animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction.

Nature everywhere is declining at a speed never previously seen and our need for ever more food and energy are the main drivers.

These trends can be halted, the study says, but it will take "transformative change" in every aspect of how humans interact with nature.

Read more here.

The first minister welcomes the important report and the new evidence it provides and pledges to consider the report very carefully.

She announces a conference on biodiversity will come to Scotland ahead of China meeting in 2021

Ms Beamish says the report is a stark look at how we are letting down our species and calls for a long term action plan.

Ms Sturgeon agrees more must be done but says Scotland compares favourably to the global picture.

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish seeks a response to the recent Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report.

The first minister says the government is doing what it can to support town centres, including with a £50m town centre fund.

Mr Stewart says the single most detrimental effect on the high street are “crippling business rates”.

He says retailers have faced “eye watering increases” and urges the first minister to “turn this tide”.

The first minister says the Scottish government will continue to support retail and town centres, before insisting Scotland has the most competitive business support package in the UK.

Image source, Getty Images

The number of store closures on Scotland's high streets has fallen to its lowest level in the last six years, according to new analysis.

There were 265 closures in eight Scottish cities and towns in 2018 - offset by 146 new store openings.

That means a net loss of 119 compared to the record figure of 148 in 2017.

But auditors PwC said the figures showed high streets were still being "blighted by closures as the retail landscape faces a new future".

Read more here.

Tory MSP Alexander Stewart asks about action in light of recent analysis which suggests that a record number of Scotland's shops closed in the first three months of the year.

Mr Briggs calls for an independent review of the methadone programme and a review of recovery services.

The first minister replies that the government is already doing the kind of things the Tory MSP is calling for.

She reiterates her call for a safe consumption facility in Glasgow.

Reevel Alderson
BBC Scotland Home Affairs correspondent

High levels of drug misuse in Scotland have been linked to mental illness or childhood trauma, MPs investigating the problem have been told.

It comes as figures showed drug-related deaths in Scotland are now 2.5 times that of other UK countries.

The total for 2018 is expected to top 1,000 for the first time.

The Commons Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC) will begin an inquiry on Tuesday to see why the numbers are so high and what the Scottish Parliament can do.

Read more.

The first minister says there is a compelling case that the Misuse of Drugs Act should be amended to halt drug deaths.

If the UK government refuses to allow the Scottish government to use innovative measures to tackle drug deaths, like safe consumption facilities, the powers should be devolved she argues.

Mr McMillan says despite the drug deaths emergency, the UK government is refusing to act.

There is a recognition across the parliament that we need to look at different ways to tackle the issue, the first minister agrees.

SNP MSP Stuart McMillan asks whether drug policy should be devolved or amended.

Tory MSP Maurice Corry calls for the first minister to recognise the submariners based at Faslane who have manned submarines for decades.

The first minister says while she takes a different view on the nuclear deterrent, that is no reflection on the dedication of the personnel.

SNP MSP Bruce Crawford says Michael Gove told the Tory conference that the UK government should get involved in devolved areas.

He says: "The Tory government at Westminster should keep their grubby hands of this people of Scotland's parliament."

The first minister agrees.