The Scottish Parliament election is fast approaching, with less than a week until voters going to the polls on Thursday 6 May. Here are some of the key points from the campaign trail today:

• Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater called for urgent action on the climate
• Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, said Scotland needed world class cancer care
• Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said pro-UK voters only had "one shot" to stop indyref2

• Willie Rennie argued that the Lib Dems could stop the "five years of worry" that would follow an SNP victory
• Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP were the only party "with a serious plan to protect our NHS and support our economy"

That's all from us for today. We'll be back with more coverage on Tuesday.

Could someone fully explain the workings of the voting system?published at 14:25 British Summer Time 30 April 2021

14:25 BST 30 April 2021

Question from Colin, Paisley

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Image source, PA Media

There are 129 MSPs. 73 of them represent local constituencies, and are elected by a system called "first past the post", which means that the candidate who receives the most votes wins.

The Scottish Parliament is then "topped up" with a further 56 members - seven from each of eight electoral regions.

These regional MSPs are elected using a formula designed to ensure parliament better reflects the proportion of public support that exists for different parties.

The system is weighted so that the more constituency seats a party wins, the higher the level of support they need in the regional vote to pick up extra seats.

That also makes it easier for smaller parties to get regional members elected.

What do the parties intend to do for young people suffering poor mental health?published at 14:15 British Summer Time 30 April 2021

14:15 BST 30 April 2021

Question from James, Edinburgh

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Mental health services for children have been stretched for a long time and there is a recognition that the pandemic will make that worse.

It is recognised that 50% of mental health issues are established before the age of 14 and so early intervention is critical. All the parties say they want to improve mental health services.

• The Scottish Liberal Democrats say the issue is their single biggest priority. They want to invest 15% of new health spending on mental health to train specialists to work in community centres, work places and schools. They also want to double the number of psychiatrists and councillors in training.
• Scottish Labour wants to reform mental health services and create a dedicated mental health worker in every GP practice. They want to improve the integration of mental health support between communities, schools, social work and the NHS, increasing funding to 11% of the health budget.
• The SNP says by the end of the next parliament 10% of the frontline NHS budget would be for mental health. It will reform the way CAMHS works and introduce a strategy to improve outcomes for people who struggle with the transition between child and adult services.
• The Scottish Conservatives also say 10% of the frontline NHS budget will be used for mental health services. They also want to see community triage centres and support available for those with mild or moderate issues to get help within six weeks.
• The Scottish Greens say they will prioritise children and young people's services by investing an additional £161m by 2026 and doubling the budget for community wellbeing services to £30m. They also want to make sure there is extra mental health support available in GP surgeries.

Experts say the real challenge will be finding the staff to deliver the services. There are already shortages of psychiatrists and mental health specialists, and it will take time to train more.

They say there is a need to rethink how mental health services are delivered and so will welcome an emphasis on improving community support.

Additional investment will also be welcomed, but diverting funds to mental health could mean other parts of the NHS will have to lose out on funds.

Image source, Getty Images

Douglas Ross and Ruth Davidson have been asking pro-UK voters to give the Scottish Conservatives their second votes stop an SNP majority and another referendum.

The party said they had “one shot” to be sure of halting another independence referendum.

On the campaign trail in Edinburgh, Mr Ross said that a vote for the Tories on the regional list was the only way to “guarantee” that another referendum would be stopped.

The Scottish Conservative leader said: "We are the strongest pro-UK vote and the only party you can be absolutely sure will vote to stop another referendum.

“We will get all of the focus back to where it should be – on protecting jobs, supporting our NHS, and helping pupils catch-up from what they’ve missed during Covid.”

It's just under a week until the Scottish Parliament election on 6 May.

The vote will decide the government in Scotland for the next five years. So what's it all about?

The BBC’s Noor Abdel-Razik takes a look at what you need to know.

Image source, Getty Images

Which local contests might tell the story of the Scottish Parliament election and give an indication of the national picture?

Our political correspondent Philip Sim has picked out the top 10 seats to watch:

1. Dumbarton
2. Aberdeenshire West
3. Edinburgh Central
4. Moray
5. East Lothian
6. Eastwood
7. Glasgow Southside
8. Perthshire South and Kinross-shire
9. Airdrie and Shotts
10. North East Regional List

You can read more from Phil here.

The results in all those contests will be known on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 May. BBC Scotland will have extensive coverage, including results, analysis and reaction from the live page team.

Image source, Reuters

The SNP is the only party with "a serious plan to protect our NHS and support our economy", leader Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Campaigning in Edinburgh, she said it was the only one to have set out detailed proposals for its first 100 days in office.

"The only thing the Tories are planning for Scotland is another wave of austerity - and Labour can do nothing to stop them," she said.

Ms Sturgeon was also questioned on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday.

She said it would be necessary to "confront and resolve" the issues for the border between Scotland and England if an independent Scotland returned to the European Union.

"If we do that in a way that allows businesses to keep trading, because businesses are already paying the price of having a border because of Brexit, we open up the European Union again," she said.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

There still seems to be little mystery about the final result of this election - with only the SNP talking about forming a government.

But there are still some key questions to be answered which could have a huge bearing on Scotland's future.

Will the SNP secure an outright majority? Could they build a pro-independence majority with the help of other, smaller parties? Will the Conservatives hold off a Labour challenge in the battle for second place?

What are the factors which could help answer these questions?

These are the five unknowns that could decide the election

Image source, PA Media

Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie claims there will be five years of worry if the SNP win next week's Scottish election.

Campaigning in Edinburgh, he said: “I am appealing to people who have previously voted for the SNP.

"My politics is based on the idea that everyone deserves a chance to make something of their life.

"It’s campaigning for better mental health and education that gets me up in the morning."

Mr Rennie said that would be "at risk" if there were five years of arguments over borders, the currency and the deficit.

“Voting for Scottish Liberal Democrats can make the worry go away," he added.

To help you decide who you might vote for in the Scottish Parliament election, you can use this policy guide to compare where the parties stand on the key issues.

Risks and reassurance over indyref2published at 12:20 British Summer Time 30 April 2021

12:20 BST 30 April 2021

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon wants to secure a mandate for another independence referendum at this election.

She is keen to debate the principle of what she describes as “Scotland’s right to choose” its own future.

She is less keen to answer detailed questions about the practicalities of delivering political independence from the UK in the aftermath of Brexit.

The SNP leader says detailed information on currency, deficit management, Trident removal, securing EU membership and border arrangements with England would be provided in advance of any vote.

She argues that it is because she put independence planning on hold to prioritise dealing with the pandemic that this prospectus is not already in preparation.

Her opponents argue that producing that analysis would be a distraction from pandemic recovery after the election.

In response to that criticism, Ms Sturgeon insists steering Scotland through the Covid crisis will remain her focus if she is re-elected as first minister - even if that means indyref2 does not happen before the end of 2023, which is her preferred timetable.

There is no mention of the referendum in the SNP’s plans for the first 100 days of the next Scottish government.

That risks demotivating those SNP supporters most frustrated with the lack of progress towards independence and presents a campaigning opportunity for Alex Salmond’s Alba party.

Nicola Sturgeon’s judgement appears to be that it is more important to try and reassure those who might be prepared to back her leadership but are unsure about independence.

Has the counting of postal votes already started?published at 12:05 British Summer Time 30 April 2021

12:05 BST 30 April 2021

Question from Isabella, Glasgow

Claire Diamond
BBC Scotland News

No votes can be counted before the polls close at 22:00 on 6 May. This includes votes cast by post or in person.

When it comes to postal votes, the envelopes can be opened ahead of the count to check the signature and date of birth on the postal voting statement (which is returned along with the completed ballot paper) matches those given on the postal vote application.

The Electoral Commission says this is to ensure the vote is returned by the eligible postal voter and has not been intercepted by someone else.

Where the signature or date of birth do not match, the vote is rejected and not entered into the count. If they do match, the ballot paper is stored securely until it can be counted with the votes cast at polling stations.

Image source, Getty Images

Ballot papers are kept face down throughout a postal vote opening session, and it is illegal to try find out or communicate how any vote has been cast. Postal vote opening sessions are done in full view of the agents appointed by candidates and political parties.

Returning officers will ensure there is physical distancing in place at the postal vote opening sessions and those in attendance will have to observe the safety measures we’re all used to now – including wearing masks and cleaning their hands.

Postal vote openings are on a much smaller scale than counts so it’s unlikely there will need to be a reduction in the number of agents allowed to attend.

The Scottish Greens have stressed the need for urgent action on the climate as they enter the final days of campaigning.

Co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater have been in Glasgow, near the venue which will host the COP26 UN climate summit in November.

They say there are less than 10 years to go before the deadline set by the Paris Agreement to keep global temperatures under control.

Lorna Slater, the party's co-leader, said: "A vote for the Scottish Greens is a vote for investment in a green recovery that can reduce Scotland's carbon emissions and build a fairer, greener economy.

"Scotland can lead European efforts to tackle the climate emergency as an independent nation, but only if we vote like our future depends on it next week."

People have two votes - one for a constituency MSP, and another for a regional ballot.

There are 73 constituency MSPs, each elected on a first-past-the-post system similar to the UK general election. The winner is the candidate who receives the most votes in each constituency.

In the regional ballot, people vote for a party. The parties are then allocated a number of MSPs depending on how many votes they receive - once the number of constituencies already won in that region is taken into account - to make the overall result more proportional.

There are eight electoral regions, each with seven regional MSPs.

This means that people in Scotland are each represented by eight MSPs - one for their constituency and the other seven representing their region.

The Scottish government is formed from the party that hold the most seats in the parliament, or alternatively a coalition of more than one party.

It is led by the first minister, who appoints a number of ministers to be in charge of departments such as education, health and finance.

Image source, PA

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said that world class cancer care is "on the ballot" in this election.

The party says it is estimated that up to 7,000 people in Scotland are believed to be living with undiagnosed cancer as a result of the pandemic’s impact on services, such as suspension of breast, cervical and bowel screening.

Scottish Labour says its NHS recovery plan will clear the backlog in cancer treatment.

Mr Sarwar said: "Right now there are thousands of people in Scotland who have cancer, but don’t know about it.

"We came into this pandemic with an under-funded NHS. The Tories would rather take us back to constitutional arguments, while the SNP’s poor track-record on cancer goes unchallenged.

“A distracted government and an incompetent opposition has meant when it comes to cancer care Nicola Sturgeon has taken her eye off the ball."

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Image source, Getty Images

As voters prepare to elect a fresh batch of MSPs to Holyrood on 6 May, BBC Scotland's political editor Glenn Campbell has been answering questions from our voters' panel.

You can also send us your questions by clicking on the link at the top of this page.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Politicians insist that the Scottish Parliament election on 6 May could be one of the most important in the county's history.

But on average, almost half of the electorate don't actually vote in these polls.

Who are the Scots who don't take part in the democratic process, and what's holding them back?

Our political correspondent Phil Sim has some of the answers.

There's less than a week to go before we head to the polls for the Scottish Parliament elections.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who was playing shinty on his campaign stop today, says the pandemic recovery should be the priority.

The Scottish Greens' co-leaders will ask people to vote like their future depends on it because of climate change.

Scottish Labour and the Scottish Conservatives will be asking for people's list votes.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will warn of Tory austerity threatening the NHS.

While there's no common theme to the lead stories in the papers this morning, independence is the main election issue to feature on Scotland's front pages. The other big political story is still the row over the funding of renovations at Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat.

Good morning and welcome to BBC Scotland's coverage of the Scottish Parliament election campaign on Friday, 30 April.

There are six days left before voters go to the polls next Thursday, 6 May, to decide who will represent them at Holyrood.

We will keep you up to date with the latest news, analysis and explanation from the election trail.