Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf begins saying we cannot carry on locking up people in prisons far in excess of the numbers of our European neighbours.

Mr Yousaf insists sentencing decisions are for the independent court and the judiciary.

The justice secretary explains the courts hear all the evidence and are best placed to weigh up all the evidence when it comes to sentencing.

"I respect the independence of the court."

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The justice secretary disagrees with the Tory proposal to abolish automatic early release, pointing to the "far, far too high" prison population.

Liam Kerr intervenes to say overcrowding cannot dictate sentencing as that would be putting the cart before the horse.

Mr Yousaf explains that abolishing automatic early release would lead to the need for three more Barlinnies being built to house prisoners.

The teenager who abducted, raped and murdered Alesha MacPhail has had his 27-year minimum sentence reduced by appeal judges.

Aaron Campbell was 16 when he was sentenced to life for killing the six-year-old on the Isle of Bute.

In August, his counsel, Brian McConnachie QC, told the Court of Criminal Appeal in Edinburgh that the term was excessive in light of his age.

Three judges ruled on Tuesday his sentence should be cut by three years.

Read more.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr says automatic early release - provided halfway through sentences - leaves victims feeling vulnerable.

We need to be upfront with people, he argues, saying if a person is sentenced to three years in prison they should spend three years in prison.

Mr Kerr also criticises the labeling of life imprisonment, saying it actually means a lengthy jail term.

We must jettison the terms life sentence when the majority of people that receive one spend less than 15 years in prison he argues.

Scottish judges cannot hand out a sentence to ensure the worst criminals cannot be released he says, calling for them to be given the option of whole-life sentences.

The Scottish Tories are calling on the Scottish government to "toughen the law" on criminal sentencing.

The party is calling for:

• an end to automatic early release
• the creation of whole-life sentences
• an end to the presumption against short-term sentences
• more clarity on sentencing for victims

Justice spokesperson Liam Kerr says: "Criminals continue to go unpunished and victims continue to be betrayed by the very system that is meant to stand up for them."

Ministers have previously said ending shorter sentences aim to reduce re-conviction rates.

They also say judges already have the power to ensure prisoners are not released if they are deemed a threat to public safety.

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Tory MSP Liam Kerr is leading this next debate, titled 'Restoring Trust in Criminal Sentencing'.

He is calling for the abolition of automatic early release.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

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Tory MSP Brian Whittle tells the SNP benches: "Health has been devolved and has been devolved for 20 years, it's part of your responsibility."

Mr Whittle says repeating the same mistakes is "unacceptable", citing issues at the QEUH turning up again at the Sick Kid's.

To the cabinet secretary he says "where you dither confidence has gone through the floor."

The Tory MSP says one could say making the announcement of a public inquiry the day before this issue was due to be debated was cynical.

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Jeane Freeman repeats this will be a statutory public inquiry into the new Sick Kid's site in Edinburgh and the QEUH in Glasgow.

The health secretary goes on to say: "I'm not looking for heads to roll but I have a funny feeling that maybe some members from their comments are looking for my head to roll."

She thanks all the staff a the QEUH and the Sick Kid's in Edinburgh for delivering the highest quality care and adds it is entirely wrong they have to deal with the problems of these buildings.

A public inquiry will be held to examine safety and wellbeing issues at the new children's hospital in Edinburgh and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

The inquiry will determine how vital issues relating to ventilation and other key building systems occurred.

It will also look at how to avoid mistakes in future projects.

Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Children and Young People had been due to open in 2017.

Read more.

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Daniel Johnson says "We need a new children's hospital in Edinburgh".

The Sick Kid's in Edinburgh is cherished, but has gotten by with "make do and mend".

In response to SNP MSP George Adam saying opposition MSPs were making petty points, he insists it is not a petty point but a personal point for him as a parent.

"My daughter spent four months in the Sick Kid's and I knows how badly compromised that building is and how badly a new one is needed, and that is why we need an inquiry."

He says ultimately ministers need to take responsibility for the findings of the public inquiry.

An independent review into infection risk at Scotland's largest hospital is seeking evidence to help the inquiry.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow has experienced problems since opening in 2015.

The inquiry aims to establish whether hospital design or maintenance hinders staff controlling infection outbreaks.

Two people who died at the hospital were found to have contracted Cryptococcus fungal infection which can be linked to pigeon droppings.

Read more.

The new children's hospital in Edinburgh won't be fully operational for at least another year, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has revealed.

The Sick Kids facility was due to open in July, but last-minute inspections found safety concerns over its ventilation systems.

Now a new report has found at least £16m worth of work is needed.

NHS Lothian is paying about £1.4m in monthly repayments to the private consortium which built the facility.

Read more.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton says the inquiry will give us vital answers to ensure future projects can go forward unencumbered.

Many of the people who have to answer questions in this inquiry are currently involved with the delivery of the new Sick Kids’ Hospital he says, seeking assurance that they will not be pulled offline causing further delay.

Mr Cole-Hamilton says many questions may be raised during the inquiry about territorial health boards but he warns against this leading to centralisation.

He says the inquiry must not be restricted in what it looks at.

Green MSP Alison Johnstone says a consortium has been paid £1.4m per month since February for a hospital that has not been used.

Given no one knows how these matters progressed as far as they did, we need to get to the bottom of this, she says, welcoming the public inquiry.

She expresses concern about the control a single individual chair will have over its remit, however.

She also questions the finance model for the hospital, saying it will see the public purse pay over £400m over 25 years and will still not own the site at the end of it.

We need to know how we have ended up with hospitals that are not safe, Ms Lennon argues.

The public need to know who is responsible and what happened, she adds.

Ms Lennon tells the chamber of Stevie-Jo Kirkpatrick, a 15 year old with leukemia, whose family have spent £3,000 in travel, food and accommodation while she gets treatment in an adult ward which does not house teenagers.

We need to sort these issues out she concludes.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Labour MSP Monica Lennon says her party shares concerns about the “mismanagement” of NHS projects.

The Edinburgh hospital is lying empty and the Glasgow campus has been rocked by one problem after another, she states.

Some children with cancer face a 300 miles round trip to a hospital in NHS Grampian as a result of these issues Ms Lennon says.

The Labour MSP asks what investment will be made available to upgrade the current Sick Kids' Hospital to make it more comfortable.

Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour asks how long the inquiry will take and when its recommendations will be clear.

Ms Freeman says she is unable to say, as the chair - who is expected to be from a legal background - will decide its remit and timescales.

A new national body will have oversight of major infrastructure developments within NHS Scotland, the health secretary confirms.

Image source, bbc

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says the focus now will remain on the fixing the current issues and ensuring the new Edinburgh hospital can open next autumn.

Health Protection Scotland is continuing to monitor the situation at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital she adds.

Ms Freeman says she has written to parents which children in the oncology unit to confirm she will meet with them to hear concerns directly.

Parents have made clear that they remain concerned about the safety of the QEUH building and that is why we have established an inquiry she explains.

The inquiry will be on a statutory basis with all the powers that brings she adds.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Mr Briggs urges ministers to confirm within the next week that no other projects will be delayed.

He welcomes yesterday's confirmation there will be an inquiry into the two flagship hospitals, insisting it must also look into the role of the Scottish government and why things were missed by ministers.

This is the health secretary's last chance to show she has the leadership needed to turn things around, he says.

It is the SNP government who have been in charge for 11 years and it is SNP ministers who must take responsibility for these failures he concludes.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs says patients, families and staff need confidence that hospitals are safe.

The recent issues with the Edinburgh Sick Kids' Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital have undermined this confidence, he states.

"We have seen the mismanagement of major infrastructure projects across Scotland," he argues, highlighting projects have gone over budget and missed timescales.

Mr Briggs calls for an inspection of the current Sick Kids' Hospital given it is meant to stay open longer than planned.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman says she will do this and confirms she is visiting the DCM site on Monday.