Coronavirus statement - following the confirmation of Scotland's first case in Tayside and the launch of a four nation action plan
Jeane Freeman tells the chamber of the reasonable worst case scenario planning assumptions:
80% of the UK population may become infected
4% of those infected may require hospitalisation
1% fatality rate in those infected
The second panel comprises:
Image source, bbcLabour MSP Daniel Johnson
Labour MSP Daniel Johnson is pushing for a new law to protect shop and bar workers from violence.
Mr Johnson's proposed legislation would create new offences around the assault and abuse of workers who sell age-restricted items such as alcohol and cigarettes.
The Labour MSP has said such violence and abuse is at a 10-year high.
The Usdaw union, the Scottish Grocers' Federation and retailer Scotmid are backing the plan.
But the Scottish government does not support the bill because existing laws can be used to prosecute attackers.
Mr Wightman asks about comparisons between this bill and legislation relating to attacks on emergency workers.
The Emergency Workers Act, external includes a penalty of up to 12 months imprisonment, a £10,000 fine or both, and the Act has been extended to include GPs and doctors, nurses and midwives working in the community.
Supt Thomson replies he is uncomfortable with the comparison, as the powers with police constables are enshrined in law and the situation is very different from that facing shop workers.
He asks what value creating a new offence will have in preventing crime and stresses the importance of the final judicial outcome.
Ms Mawdsley agrees with the superintendent about the differences and warns about the danger of not creating clarity in the law at the outset.
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Ian Thomson suggests the legislation could help shop workers recognise they do not have to put up with unacceptable behaviour, but there are already laws in place to respond to incidents.
Green MSP Andy Wightman asks if the law is there to send messages.
The law has a useful role in sending messages replies Gillian Mawdsley.
But she adds other things can be done before getting to the legislation stage, such as public campaigns.
SNP MSP Willie Coffey asks if the current laws deal with this issue adequately.
The bill has excellent motivation but the problem is there are a number of offences that can be used for prosecution, replies Ms Mawdsley.
The Law Society of Scotland representative says various scenarios that are not currently prosecuted should be looked at to address any gaps in the legislation, either through the forthcoming hate crime bill or the bill being considered today.
Image source, bbcSNP MSP Gordon MacDonald cites a BRC report which says there has been a 100% increase in violence against shop workers and asks why this is happening.
Ms Mawdsley reiterates her point that for the criminal justice system to engage an incident must be reported and she thinks there is under-reporting.
People must have confidence in the justice system to address this issue, she adds, calling for better information to be disseminated.
Labour MSP Jackie Baillie suggests attacks on shop workers are not always taken seriously, pointing to examples in her constituency where police have not taken further action after first attending an incident.
Ian Thomson explains decisions depend on the circumstances around each incident and there can be issues with corroboration.
SNP MSP Colin Beattie asks about using non-punitive responses when a young person is involved in a crime.
Supt Thomson explains punishing a young person may not always be the best option in terms of knock-on effect on life chances.
He says this bill lowers the threshold of criminality and it is more likely to impact younger offenders given it relates to age-restrictions on sales.
The outcome desired may not be achieve and it could risk criminalising children and young people, he warns.
Mr Lyle raises negative perceptions about how attacks on shop workers are dealt with by the criminal justice system.
Gillian Mawdsley from the Law Society of Scotland replies it is important to ascertain at what point in the system there might be a failure.
Ms Mawdsley points out she has not seen light sentencing, saying there are a whole generality of offences affecting retail workers and calls for better specification.
SNP MSP Richard Lyle highlights concerns about abuse being directed towards retail staff and asks whether it is getting worse.
Ian Thomson from Police Scotland says it is difficult to confirm this because the ways of reporting and recording crime make it difficult to break down those which affect specifically retail workers.
However it is something that impacts every local community in Scotland and police continue to work with local partners to respond to it, he adds.
An MSP is pushing for a new law to protect shop and bar workers from violence.
Daniel Johnson's proposed legislation would create new offences around the assault and abuse of workers who sell age-restricted items such as alcohol and cigarettes.
The Labour MSP said such violence and abuse is at a 10-year high.
The Usdaw union, the Scottish Grocers' Federation and retailer Scotmid are backing the plan.
But the Scottish government does not support the bill because existing laws can be used to prosecute attackers.
Image source, bbcThe new convener welcomes:
Image source, bbcNew convener Michelle Ballantyne gets proceedings underway
Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne is chosen as the new convener of the Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee is considering the Protection of Workers Bill this morning.
It aims to improve protections for shop workers, particularly those abused when enforcing a statutory age restriction.
Image source, USDAWWelcome to BBC Scotland's coverage of the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday 3 March 2020.
The economy committee begins scrutinising the Protection of Workers Bill this morning. The proposed legislation aims to create new offences on the abuse of retail workers.
Image source, Getty ImagesEvents for International Women's Day, like this demo in Australia, are held all over the world
After topical questions, MSPs will mark International Women's Day.
Then Tory MSP Miles Briggs leads a debate on pre-eclampsia.