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That's the end of the day for BBC Holyrood Live on Wednesday 11 December 2019 - we'll be back next Tuesday when parliament returns.

Remember, polls for the general election open tomorrow at 07:00 and close at 22:00.

You can find out where your polling station is on the Electoral Commission website, external.

• General election 2019: A really simple guide
• Who should I vote for? Compare the party manifestos
• Who is standing in my area?

The first minister says: “Tackling the climate emergency is a priority for all of us.”

It can’t be done by any one country alone, she adds.

The ground is being prepared for COP26 in Glasgow at the moment by Roseanne Cunningham in Madrid, she adds.

The first minister points to the Climate Justice Fund and she says we do need the UK government to take action if Scotland is to meet its targets on carbon capture and storage.

She regrets that Boris Johnson did not attend the Channel 4 climate change debate, where he was empty-chaired by a block of ice.

SNP MSP Angus MacDonald asks how the government is working with international partners to tackle climate change.

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World leaders have been in Madrid for the high-level stage of the COP25 UN climate conference.

The outcome of the talks could have a huge bearing on the Glasgow event next year.

So far the negotiations have been slow and frustration at the speed of progress is growing.

But climate scientist Prof Sandy Tudhope from Edinburgh University believes there is still time to turn them around.

Read more.

The first minister says pupils should be able to choose their preferred subject, with travel to a nearby college or university an option if something is not taught at their school.

Mr Johnson says pupils should have the same opportunities regardless of the school they go to, yet the data shows a 20% gap in the choices for the richest and poorest taking their highers.

Ms Sturgeon says the evidence does not suggest there are fewer choices for poorer pupils.

There are more qualifications and more options for young people now than has ever been the case, she insists.

The attainment gap is closing, she adds, though she accepts there is more work to be done on this.

Labour MSP Daniel Johnson seeks a response to research suggesting that children in poorer areas have almost 10% fewer choices of subjects in secondary schools than those in better-off areas.

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According to The Ferret..., external

"Children in poorer parts of Scotland have nearly 10 per cent fewer choices of subjects in secondary schools than those in better-off areas, new research has found.

"The evidence suggests that students from deprived areas attempt fewer qualifications and fail more of them. The school curriculum has narrowed, experts warn, worsening disadvantages and having a “profound impact” on many lives."

The first minister replies that loneliness can be particularly hard for older people over the festive period and points to the national plan on social isolation and loneliness.

She calls on people to remember a simple act of kindness can go a long way at this time.

Mr Greene says 100,000 people will be sitting down to Christmas dinner alone this year and calls for loneliness to be tackled as a public health crisis.

The first minister agrees this should be seen as a public health issue and again calls for small acts of kindness from people this festive period.

Tory MSP Jamie Greene asks about support being provided to public services and the third sector to address the issue of loneliness among older people over the festive period.

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Over 100,000 older people in Scotland will be eating dinner alone on Christmas day, a survey has suggested.

Meanwhile, one in six over-65s say they feel more lonely at Christmas than at any other time of year.

And the research found the older people got, the less likely they were to look forward to Christmas.

Age Scotland has launched its 'No One Should Have No One' campaign ahead of the festive period.

Labour MSP Claudia Beamish says her party supports a ban on snares, describing them as "deplorable animal cruelty".

Ms Sturgeon repeats that it is being kept under review.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell says snaring causes extreme suffering and there must be a ban, as well as more experts in the field to investigation wildlife crime.

The first minister agrees to consider giving the Scottish SPCA more powers, highlighting the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill, external currently making its way through parliament.

The first minister says the Scottish government has led the way on regulating snares.

Ms Grahame says there is graphic evidence of deer, badgers and domestic cats caught in snares and there are calls for an outright ban which she backs.

If that cannot happen, Ms Grahame calls for a ban.

The first minister agrees such images are shocking and should be reported to the police. adding snaring is kept under review.

SNP MSP Christine Grahame asks whether the Scottish Government will ban the use of snares.

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Scottish Green MSP Andy Wightman raises cuts at Newsquest and says journalists losing their jobs undermines the role the media has in holding power to account.

Ms Sturgeon agrees a free media is essential to democracy.

Earlier Tory MSP Liam Kerr said a constituent in Peterhead was unable to get a GP appointment for a flu vaccination for two months and he pointed to other issues in NHS Grampian which he attributed to under-funding.

There is record investment in the NHS notwithstanding cuts from the UK government, Ms Sturgeon replied.

SNP MSP Keith Brown asks if the first minister agrees migrants are welcome to stay in Scotland and it is their home, after lambasting recent comments by the first minister.

"Boris Johnson's dog whistle anti-immigration rhetoric is disgraceful," says Ms Sturgeon.

Labour MSP Monica Lennon says chronic pain conditions still face excruciating waiting times and calls for an apology from the first minister.

Ms Sturgeon says progress is being made in terms of the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

£108m has been invested so far this year on this, she explains.

Ms Johnstone says the just transition "has to start now" and evidence that that is happening in unavailable.

Oil and gas extraction is up in Scotland, as are transport emissions, she states.

Ms Sturgeon says 75% of electricity could be renewable sources, and also points to energy efficiency schemes, bus investment and electric vehicle network investment.

Scottish Green Party parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone says half a million people marched through Madrid to demand climate change action ahead of the COP25, but the UK government plans have been deemed inadequate.

Ms Johnstone calls on the first minister to accept the science and recognise fossil fuels need to stay in the ground.

Roseanna Cunningham is in Madrid for COP25 and the Scottish government does accept the science, replies Ms Sturgeon.

The first minister cites what she says are the most challenging climate change targets in the world and stresses the need for a just transition away from fossil fuels.

That's why the Just Transition Commission has been established, she adds.

Tory MSP Miles Briggs says an FOI shows over 1,000 children have been ambulanced between St John's in Livingston to the Edinburgh Sick Kids.

Mr Birggs asks when will the children's unit in Livingston be opened 24/7?

"It will return 24/7 when it is clinically safe to do so," replies the first minister, saying the health secretary has met with parents in Livingston.

Labour MSP Jackie Baillie raises the anniversary of the tragic fire at Cameron House on 18 December and calls for decisions to be made by the Crown Office without delay.

The first minister says her thoughts are with the bereaved families but adds it is not appropriate for her to instruct the Lord Advocate.