Summary

  • First Minister Humza Yousaf faces opposition leaders at the weekly Q&A session.

  • It is being held as voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West go to the polls in a Westminster by-election

  • Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross asked about funding pressures facing Police Scotland and proposals to cut police stations across the country

  • Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar highlighted warnings that the force will need to lose another 600 officers and 200 staff next year

  • Mr Yousaf said there was a higher proportion of police officers on the streets in Scotland than in England and that crime is at historically low levels

  • Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman asked how the measures in place to tackle the climate crisis will also help to tackle poverty

  • Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur raised calls by Orkney Council for the government's National Islands Plan to be scrapped

Live Reporting

BBC Scotland News

  1. Analysis

    Political focus may be elsewhere

    Philip Sim
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    Holyrood is sitting today, but political attention may be focused elsewhere in Scotland.

    There is a Westminster by-election in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.

    Because polls are open, we are limited in what we can report about the campaigns – for all that there may well be references to it in the chamber.

    And there are plenty of other issues for party leaders to address.

    From infrastructure projects to net zero policies, arts funding to poverty, there is no shortage of political topics for MSPs to debate without straying too egregiously into canvassing for votes.

    There is a full list of candidates in the by-election here.

  2. Welcome to our FMQs live page

    Humza YousafGetty Images

    Welome to our live coverage of First Minister's Questions.

    First Minister Humza Yousaf will be taking questions from the opposition leaders and backbench MSPs from 12pm.

    You can follow the coverage here or by clicking on one of the tabs above.