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Ms Sturgeon replies nobody should be the victim of any attack for doing their job, particularly not hard working NHS staff.

The first minister warns those carrying out an attack face criminal proceedings and she points out legal protection is given to all NHS staff.

Ms Ballantyne asks if the first minister agrees that it is unacceptable health boards have to spend money on private security.

Ms Sturgeon agrees and reiterates the need for zero-tolerance towards attacks on NHS staff.

Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne seeks a response to reports that attacks on staff at six NHS boards increased in the last year.

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NHS Grampian has formed a new steering group to tackle violence and aggression against staff.

A meeting of the board heard how workers faced members of the public venting their frustration, and behaving in a verbally aggressive and sometimes violent manner.

The group will bring specialists from across the organisation together.

They will look at where violence and aggression is most prevalent, and work to reduce it.

Read more.

The first minister welcomes analysis showing the number of employees earning less than the real living wage has decreased.

Scotland remains the best performing of all four UK countries, she adds.

Mr Gibson says 11% of women and 8% of men in full time work earn less than the hourly real living wage and asks what the Scottish government can do about it.

Ms Sturgeon says the government will continue to call for the devolution of employment law to ensure workers receive the real living wage.

We will also attach Fair Work First criteria to public service contracts and work with the Poverty Alliance to promote the living wage, she says.

Labour MSP Rhoda Grant says the government is not doing enough to make Scotland a living wage nation and calls for all government contracts to ensure the living wage is paid.

Ms Sturgeon again highlights Fair Work First, before adding that the Scottish government is unable to mandate employers to pay it by law.

SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson seeks a response to figures showing that the number of workers earning less than the real living wage has decreased by 13% in the last year.

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Less than a fifth of jobs in the UK pay less than the real living wage, research from KPMG has found, external.

In Scotland, 17% of workers earn below £9 per hour.

And female in-work poverty is the lowest in Scotland.

Tory MSP Maurice Corry brings up Rememberance Sunday and pays tribute to those who have served in the armed forces.

The first minister says she is very proud to attend the National Rememberance Service in Edinburgh on Sunday and pays tribute to the sacrifices of all the armed forces.

Labour MSP Jenny Marra returns to the issue of the "right to reply" for the NHS Tayside's oncology team.

The first minister says the independent report from Healthcare Improvement Scotland was independent of the Scottish government, as it should be.

Green MSP Ross Greer asks if there will be a government debate on education brought forward by the Scottish government before the end of the year, as it has not done so for more than two years.

Ms Sturgeon argues there have been many debates on education.

SNP MSP Shona Robison asks if the first minister agrees Boris Johnson's first words when he comes to Scotland should be: "I'm sorry."

"Yes I do," replies Ms Sturgeon.

Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh says he had hoped to get through FMQs without a mention of the election, and warns again against electioneering.

A loud brouhaha breaks out in the chamber.

When it finally dies down SNP MSP Gillian Martin asks about delays of Fluenz Tetra, the flu vaccine for children.

The first minister replies that the government is doing all it can to minimise delay.

Tory MSP Tom Mason says the first minister was wrong when she said no funding was given to the Aberdeen Art Centre.

Ms Sturgeon replies that she has written to Mr Mason on this. She points out that no approach was made to the Scottish government, but one was made to Creative Scotland.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie says NHS Highland this week told patients to seek treatment elsewhere because Raigmore hospital is nearly full up.

Is the first minister proud of the record on the NHS? he asks.

Ms Sturgeon says despite pressures on the NHS, more people are being seen within four hours at A&E.

We’ve got record numbers of staff and record funding, she adds.

Mr Rennie says the first minister has not shown one recognition of the problems at Raigmore.

People rely on the NHS and are being let down by this government, he says, pointing to a recent Audit Scotland report on short staffing and broken waiting time guarantees.

The first minister says the Audit Scotland report actually showed improvements in the NHS.

She adds that the NHS does not tell anyone to “go away” and says it is irresponsible of anyone in the chamber to suggest that it does.

It encourages people to seek treatment in the best place, Ms Sturgeon states.

Tory MSP Peter Chapman says 14 dairy farmers in Aberdeenshire have been told by Mueller they have one year to find a new buyer. Ms Sturgeon says the government will do everything it can to assist these farmers.

SNP MSP Emma Harper raises an immigration case in Dumfries and says an independent Scotland should have a more humane system. The first minister says it should be better than the hostile environment presided over by Tories.

Tory MSP Edward Mountain calls for help to be provided to NHS Highland. We will continue to work closely with health boards to manage budgets and provide quality patient care, replies the first minister.

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Green MSP Mark Ruskell says NHS Fife has published a report into the health impacts of flaring at Mosmorran and asks if people living nearby should be compensated.

Flaring caused "a considerable degree of physical and psychological disturbance" to people living near a Fife chemical site, the NHS has said.

The first minister says that will be looked into, as will the evidence highlighted by Mr Ruskell.

Tory MSP Liam Kerr asks for a realistic timeline for the opening of the Baird Family Hospital.

Ms Sturgeon insists the health budget for NHS Grampian is increasing.

Tory MSP Oliver Mundell says Dumfries and Galloway Council is planning to axe instrumental tuition for those not taking SQA exams.

The first minister says the government would strongly encourage all councils to maintain music tuition.

Mr Leonard says outpatients are also being let down, highlighting the case of a young girl in Livingston who is vision impaired.

She had to miss a day at school to attend an appointment in Edinburgh, he says.

Ms Sturgeon says there is a separate strand of work to ensure that outpatients can return to St John’s.

She says the recruitment challenges are not limited to this hospital but are Europe-wide.

Image source, ECKSTASY

Efforts to reinstate a 24/7 paediatric service at St John's Hospital in West Lothian by October have failed, the health secretary has confirmed.

Jeane Freeman said ongoing difficulties with recruitment meant it was not safe to return to a full service at the Livingston hospital.

The 24-hour inpatient service which runs between Monday and Thursday will continue in the meantime.

Ms Freeman said she appreciated local people would be disappointed.

Read more.

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Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard says that in January, the health secretary made a commitment that the children’s ward at St John’s Hospital in Livingston would be open 24/7 by October.

Mr Leonard said it was still closed three nights a week, and asks when it will be open to sick children 24/7.

The first minister replies: "It will be open 24/7 as soon as it is clinically safe for it to be so."

The Scottish Tory interim leader says that when the first minister came to office she accepted there was a problem with Scottish education.

He argues that she has now retreated to her comfort zone of "spin and denial".

Mr Carlaw says it is time for schools to be put first.

Ms Sturgeon says that there are more teachers in schools, more Higher passes and a smaller attainment gap since she became first minister.

She says that's the record of this government, which stands in stark contrast to previous governments and the UK government.

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Mr Carlaw says Ms Sturgeon's own civil servants say that pupils used to leave with 10 qualifications at level 5, and that they now leave with eight.

"Is 10 more or fewer than eight?" he asks.

The fact of the matter is that performance has improved at level 5 and level 6, replies Ms Sturgeon.

The first minister insists there are record numbers of school leavers in work, training or study.

She argues the attainment gap is also narrowing.

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The Scottish government has ordered a full review of the senior phase of education in secondary schools.

The move follows a critical report by MSPs on the Scottish Parliament's education committee, who examined how S4, S5 and S6 work.

They found there had been a narrowing of the subject choices which were on offer for some pupils.

Education Secretary John Swinney said the review would identify any areas for improvement.

• MSPs call for 'urgent action' over school subject choice
• Scottish Conservatives call for 'reset' of Curriculum for Excellence
• Fears over fall in number of courses offered in Scottish schools

Mr Carlaw says: “I should have known that denial would be the mantra of the first minister.”

He says civil servants have confirmed to ministers that fewer subjects are taken now than prior to the introduction of the new qualifications.

Why did you and your education secretary mislead parliament? he asks.

The first minister says this is not the case and insists there is a wider choice available to young people today.

She says a higher percentage of young people are leaving school with level 5 and level 6 qualifications.

In England, 47% of school leavers were having to cut back on subject choices due to Tory funding cuts, adds Ms Sturgeon.