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Improvements are needed to address "systemic problems" created when Scotland's police and fire services became national bodies, according to MSPs.

Holyrood's Justice Committee has completed a review of the reorganisation of the services.

Poor money management and personnel issues were identified as issues.

The Scottish government said the changes had brought about a more consistent and improved service.

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The committee convener says Police Scotland has managed to make savings of £330m since the merger and provides better access to specialist services.

The Tory MSP says civilian staff posts have been reduced by more than 2,000, with police officers having to backfill.

This has not been addressed six years since it was first identified, she adds.

She cites issues around the Scottish Police Authority, including the lack of engagement and transparency.

In a wide ranging speech she pivots to the handling of police complaints is not working as the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 intended.

• Justice Committee Report on the Police Service of Scotland, external

Justice Committee convener Margaret Mitchell is beginning a debate on the merger of police and fire legacy forces into national organisations.

Prior to the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the police and fire services in Scotland had each consisted of eight regional organisations.

When the act came into effect in 2013, it was one of the biggest transformations of public services since devolution.

The separate organisations were merged to create two national bodies - Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

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MSPs quiz culture, tourism and external affairs ministers.

Read the questions here, external.

After lunch, it's portfolio question time for culture, tourism and external affairs ministers.

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The Justice Committee will then lead a debate on the creation of the national police and fire services.

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Public Health Minister Joe Fitzpatrick says drug deaths are a "tragedy," adding there is "no question" that this is a public health emergency.

However he says he is unable to legally designate an emergency as he does not have the power to do so.

Stigma is a barrier to people getting treatment so we must be careful with our language the minister states.

He also says the government is committed to developing a national pathway for addiction treatment.

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The number of drug-related deaths in Scotland soared to 1,187 last year, according to official statistics.

The figure is 27% higher than the previous year, and the highest since records began in 1996.

It means there were more drug-related deaths in Scotland last year than the 1,136 alcohol-specific deaths, external.

And the country's drug death rate is now nearly three times that of the UK as a whole, and is higher than that reported for any other EU country.

• Read more here
• Cross-party group urges Home Office rethink on 'fix rooms'
• Minister hopes drug deaths record will be 'wake-up call'
• Drug tsar appointed to tackle record death rate
• What can be done about Scotland's drugs crisis?

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Labour MSP Monica Lennon calls for a longer debate in government time in the future, as it is horrifying that almost 1,200 peopled died of a drug overdose in 2018.

Ms Lennon points out that Scotland's drug death rate is the highest in the world.

She says she was shocked the first minister said in her programme for government that "we are doing everything we can to save lives".

The Labour MSP says if the first minister believes the government is doing everything it can she is kidding herself.

She calls on the Scottish government to legally designate drug deaths as a public health emergency rather than just talking about it being one.

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Labour MSP Monica Lennon leads a member's debate entitled 'Scotland’s Drug Death Public Health Emergency'.

Ms Lennon says problem drug use across Scotland is a national crisis, with 1,187 people losing their lives due to drug-related causes in 2018 the highest level ever reported.

The rate of drug-related deaths in Scotland is the highest in the UK and across the EU.

Ms Lennon will call on the Scottish government to legally designate the crisis a public health emergency.

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The saga surrounding the new sick children's hospital in Edinburgh was the focus of first minister's questions this afternoon.

Nicola Sturgeon faced a grilling from both the Conservatives and Labour after yesterday's revelation the hospital won't be fully operational for at least another year.

The building was due to open to patients in July. Ms Sturgeon said patient safety was the main priority - but Scottish Tories interim leader Jackson Carlaw insisted someone must be held accountable.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard called for a full public inquiry.

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Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh explains Sir Paul Grice cannot respond to any of the kind tributes paid to him due to procedural rules in the chamber.

Mr Macintosh explains Sir Paul will be able to respond at a function this evening where he will be able to tell MSPs what he really thinks about them unencumbered by his office.

The safety and welcoming of staff and patients is the absolutely priority, says Ms Sturgeon.

Evidence received following a call for evidence about the issues at the hospital is currently being reviewed, she adds.

Ms Lennon says the problems of QEUH only became clear after the hospital opened, unlike with the Edinburgh sick kid's hospital.

She calls for an apology to the "shocking failings" of the hospital.

Ms Sturgeon says she does not hesitate to apologise whenever the NHS falls short of expected standards.

The QEUH provides some of the best healthcare in the world, she adds, saying health boards are expected to put in place the right places in response to infections.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon seeks a response to reported concerns for patient and staff safety at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Some areas of Scotland's biggest hospital cannot be cleaned properly because they are awaiting repair work, a report has found.

An inspection of Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University hospital was orderedafter patients became infectedwith a fungus linked to pigeon faeces.

The report found 300 repair jobs were waiting to be done, but there was no evidence of a plan to complete them.

It also said the emergency department had not been properly cleaned.

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