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The minister say this bill brings two issues together which we must ensure are not conflated.

The first is that 20mph speed limits are beneficial, which the government supports in the right environment, Mr Matheson.

The second is whether the blanket approach is the best way of achieving the desired safety and active travel benefit, he adds.

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Green MSP Andy Wightman intervenes to point out a default speed limit is one size fits all and the only question is whether it should be 30 or 20.

Mr Matheson replies the rural economy committee had concerns about compliance and effective operation of the limit.

The minister says further consideration must be given to the process, impact and consequences of a nationwide default 20mph speed limit before we can be sure the bill will achieve its aim.

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The second phase of the £2.2m 20mph speed limit project in Edinburgh came into effect in 2017.

It covers the north of the city. Zone one, covering the city centre, came into force on 1 August 2016. It is being introduced over six phases.

Motorists face £100 fines and three penalty points if they are caught over the 20mph limit.

The roll-out will be complete by 2018. It is designed to improve safety and encourage people to walk or cycle.

Read more here.

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Transport Secretary Michael Mathieson thanks Mark Ruskell for bringing forward this member's bill and stimulating widespread debate on 20mph speed limits.

Mr Matheson says he would like to explain why the Scottish government is not backing this bill.

He explains the government is committed to Scotland's Road Safety Framework to 2020.

We have been successful on road safety targets and the government is also committed to an active travel agenda, he adds.

The existing process for local authorities to implement 20mph limits are cumbersome, Mr Mountain says.

He calls for the process to be made easier and welcomes the government agreeing to look into this.

The convener says the financial memorandum of the bill was not "robust", while the Scottish government's response says resources would have to be diverted from existing transport budgets.

The committee's majority view was that the bill was not appropriate and instead council's should consider for themselves what is appropriate, he concludes.

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The Restricted Roads (20mph speed limit) (Scotland) Bill, external was published at Holyrood in September last year.

The legislation drawn up by Green MSP Mark Ruskell won the backing of SNP, Labour and Lib Dem members.

It proposed making 20mph the standard speed limit for urban areas, although councils could still designate 30mph areas in consultation with communities.

Mr Ruskell's members bill has won the backing of green groups, health organisation and round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont.

At the time it was also backed by 25 of Mr Ruskell's fellow MSPs, including 12 from the SNP, seven from Labour, five Greens and one Lib Dem.

Rural economy committee convener Edward Mountain begins by saying the committee supports the policy aim of the bill to reduce death and injury on roads.

He points to mixed views heard on the bill and notes research indicating 20mph zones do not have an huge impact on congestion.

The committee found compliance with current 20mph limits is poor he adds.

Police Scotland said they do not prioritise enforcement of 20mph or 30mph, instead focusing on higher speed roads Mr Mountain states.

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Mr Ruskell cites a myriad of safety organisations, charities, community and parent councils who he says all back the bill.

He says we cannot wait for local authorities to do this.

The Green MSP asks how it is possible the rural economy committee and the Scottish government can conclude that it is ok for councils to be given the discretion to do nothing on 20mph zones.

"Quite unfathomable," he adds.

Mr Ruskell says: "The current blanket 30 mph limit will continue to kill, to maim and to destroy lives."

Every MSP must think on that when they vote on this bill tonight and he calls on them to make our streets safer for children to play and live in.

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MSPs are expected to vote against Green MSP Mark Ruskell's bid to make 20mph the standard speed limit on residential streets in Scotland.

Mr Ruskell put forward the legislation with the aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on roads.

But the rural economy committee concluded that a "one size fits all" approach was not appropriate.

Three members of the committee dissented from the final report.

Mr Ruskell said the report "puts the motoring lobby ahead of child safety", urging SNP members to get behind the bill.

Mr Ruskell says only a small minority of councils, most notably the Borders, do not want the power to decide on 20mph zones.

The Green MSP asks: "Why should a child growing up on a street in Galashiels deserve any less protection than a child growing up in Edinburgh?"

He points to a number of health organisations who back this bill and suggests his bill will save five lives and prevent 750 casualties every year.

It will also save £39m every year, he adds.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell says today he is asking parliament to make another step forward in making streets safer - by deciding what the default speed limit should be on the streets where we live.

The Green MSP cites the many thousands of people who back his bill and he thanks the team at Twenty's Plenty.

He points to Wales which will switch to the national default of 20mph, making it the first 20mph nation in the UK.

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Mark Ruskell told MSPs the motivation behind Restricted Roads (20mph Limit) (Scotland) Bill, external was the death of a classmate of his when he was at primary school.

The Green MSP was speaking in a member's debate marking Child Safety Week.

Mr Ruskell said his friend was run over and killed in a residential street where he lived.

"It was an unimaginable impact, not just on his family, but also on the wider community."

The evidence is there that a 20mph speed limit works, he said.

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Holyrood's rural economy committee has refused to back a bill seeking to make 20mph the standard speed limit on residential streets in Scotland.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell put forward the legislation with the aim of reducing deaths and serious injuries on roads.

But a majority of MSPs on the committee said the "one size fits all" approach was not appropriate and would not give local authorities enough flexibility.

Three members backed the move, calling the current system "confusing".

And Mr Ruskell said the committee had "put the motoring lobby ahead of child safety", and urged SNP members to "find a backbone" before the bill is voted on in the chamber in June.

• Bid to set 20mph limit in urban areas
• Read more here

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MSPs will now debate the Restricted Roads (20 mph Speed Limit) (Scotland) Bill, external for the first time.

The bill seeks to make 20mph the standard speed limit on residential streets in Scotland.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton wonders whether parliamentarians should be subject to the disclosure system, given contact with vulnerable groups.

Parliament can certainly consider that, replies the minister.

This bill will remove the concept of regulated work and instead focus on roles where there may be a power imbalance, which might include MSPs she adds.

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Green MSP John Finnie welcomes the general direction of travel on disclosure.

Mr Finnie warns simplification may be seen as weakening and asks what steps will be taken to ensure the public view the system as robust.

Ms Todd replies I think that simplifying it makes the system more robust as it makes it easier for people to engage with it.

Labour MSP Pauline McNeill says her party welcomes this bill, agreeing protection of vulnerable people must be balanced with a better disclosure system.

She asks what support voluntary organisations may need and also queries the five-year renewal process.

Ms Todd says the government will provide training and awareness to the voluntary sector so they are able to navigate in.

On the five-year limit, she says at the moment members of the PVG scheme undergo a criminal record check despite no longer needing one.

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Tory MSP Liz Smith says she is a member of the PVG system and says she very much supports the main thrust of this bill.

She asks how many more adults will become members of the system due to making it mandatory.

The Tory MSP also asks about challenges created by the new system and what the Scottish government is doing to address them.

Ms Todd replies it was important to make it mandatory as agreed to by the Health and Sport Committee.

The minister argues that the costs will be balanced out and says organisations will work out costs.