• Both the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour called for Justice Secretary Angela Constance to be sacked
• Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay says Constance "brazenly misrepresented" a leading child abuse expert in order to block a grooming gang inquiry in Scotland
• He says she refused to correct her errors and has broken the ministerial code
• Scottish Labour's Anas Sarwar says Swinney is "defending the indefensible" by refusing to sack her
• He says that despite repeated requests from Prof Alexis Jay, Constance has failed to correct the record or apologise
• Both the Scottish Conservatives and Labour have lodged Motions of No Confidence in Constance
• Swinney defends Constance and says was making "general comments" which were "clarified" in the minutes of a meeting

That's all for this week. This live page was written by Steve Brocklehurst and Rachel Grant and edited by Catherine Lyst. Join us again next week.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Tess White says Aberdeen's maternity hospital is facing further delays, with current estimates that the Baird Family Hospital will open in 2027 – seven years late, partly due to design flaws.

The Conservative MSP for North East Scotland says local women are paying the price for this incompetence and staff are struggling to cope with rising waiting times.

She urges the first minister to visit the site to see the problems himself.

Swinney says the government must be "mindful of safety considerations" around the building following inquiries into hospital construction in other parts of the country.

Is this really about claiming a scalp?published at 12:53 GMT

12:53 GMT

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

The Tories and Labour are both keen to be seen as taking the lead in efforts to oust Angela Constance.

Russell Findlay’s confidence motion currently has more support, so it’s likely that will be the one debated in parliament – probably into next week at this stage – although Labour also say they have the numbers to force a vote.

What they don’t have right now is the numbers to actually pass the motion and sack Ms Constance. Neither the Greens nor the Lib Dems seem convinced as to the urgency of the issue.

But that isn’t really the point. Findlay and Sarwar want to force the SNP – and potentially the Greens, or whoever ends up rowing in to save Constance – to go on the record backing her.

They can then make hay about it for the next five months running up to the election.

They might be every bit as happy with that as they would with claiming a scalp – hence why they are pushing for a vote which as it stands they aren’t going to win.

Earlier this week, a report on Scotland's health service - commissioned by Scottish Labour - was published.

The review's author - Mike McKirdy, former president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, told BBC Scotland he had identified a "central puzzle" in the health service.

He said: "We have more staff then ever before, there is more funding, there are more policy initiatives than ever before, demand is actually fairly static … but our activity is less than it was in 2018."

Mr McKirdy, a retired consultant surgeon, said that the issue could not all be blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic, telling the BBC: "We're really failing to deliver for people."

He said NHS staff had become "demoralised", evidenced by higher rates of absences and younger workers leaving the health service.

Mr McKirdy said the Scottish government needed to have a "relentless focus on delivery", calling for more spending on GPs, community care, planning and workforce training.

First Minister John Swinney insisted the health service had "turned a corner".

• 'Astonishing' rise in average waits for NHS 24 calls, report says

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Scottish Labour's Jackie Baillie asks about the Scottish government's response to the report into NHS Scotland by Mike McKirdy, the retired consultant surgeon and former President of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

She says the comprehensive report - commissioned by Scottish Labour - lays bare the consequences of the lack of delivery in the NHS.

Baillie says the SNP over-promise and always under deliver.

Swinney says he can reassure Baillie that there is a relentless focus on delivery.

He says waits are down and GP numbers are up.

He says more people trust him and the SNP on the health service than trust Labour.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Childhood dementia, which affects an estimated 380 families in Scotland, is raised after a recent report on the sublect was published this week, external.

Miles Briggs, the Conservative MSP for Lothian, asks if childhood dementia can be placed in the National dementia strategy, and if national standards and better research can be developed in Scotland.

Swinney says he and the health secretary would be happy to meet with Briggs and Alzheimer Scotland to take forward these discussions.

Carol Mochan, Labour MSP for South Scotland, adds that 50% of children with dementia die by the age of 10.

Swinney tells her he will advise that Scotland should practise person-centred care to maximise their life expectancy.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer says UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves' English "mansion tax" is over-complicated and "a limited way of achieving progressive outcomes" but he praises its attempt to tax the wealthiest people fairly.

He asks Swinney about a Scottish mansion tax to fund local services such as education, housing and social care.

Or the Scottish government could tax people in the top council tax bands even more, he says.

Swinney says Greer knows the commitment he has to investing in public services.

He says there is much on which he agrees with Greer and will consider other proposals.

Are motions of no confidence jumping the gun?published at 12:32 GMT

12:32 GMT

Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Anas Sarwar piles the pressure on the first minister.

He says it's clear the justice secretary should go.

His angle? The impact on victims of child sexual exploitation.

He says they've lost confidence in her, branding her "untrustworthy and incompetent".

The Scottish Labour leader doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the first minister's responses either - accusing John Swinney of being pathetic.

But the question for Labour - and indeed the Tories - is whether they've jumped the gun with their motions of no confidence.

There is no indication the Greens or the Lib Dems are on board with a plan to oust Angela Constance, meaning they simply don't have the numbers to win a vote.

As things stand it looks like she'll survive.

Sarwar says that no issue is out of bounds for the SNP government's spin.

Everyone knows Constance should go, he says, adding that Swinney thinks he knows better.

He says scandals around government ministers in recent years show the SNP holds the people of Scotland in "utter contempt".

Swinney retorts that he makes sure his government delivers for Scotland's people, listing successes including health investment and efforts to tackle child poverty.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Sarwar says the government is "addicted to cover-up and secrecy", adding that Constance is "not only a stranger to the truth" but to "competence as well".

He adds that the justice system is in "utter chaos", referring to several issues related to crime rates in Scotland.

Swinney points out that Constance set up the Scottish Child Abuse inquiry when the was education secretary in 2015, despite much resistance.

"I applaud her for taking that decision," he says.

He goes on to say that custodial sentences were up and rape convictions were at a 10-year high, and the justice system was standing on the side of victims.

Anas Sarwar starts by saying he has lodged a Motion of No Confidence in Angel Constance.

The Scottish Labour leader says that despite repeated requests from Prof Jay, she has failed to correct the record or apologise.

Why is John Swinney "defending the indefensible" by refusing to sack her?, he asks.

Swinney says he is setting out the action his government is taking to improve the lives of people who have suffered in the care of the state.

Findlay guns for the justice secretarypublished at 12:25 GMT

12:25 GMT

Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Scottish Parliament

Russell Findlay is gunning for the justice secretary.

His party - alongside Scottish Labour - is also pushing a motion of no confidence, and the Tory leader is going after Angela Constance over the way she handled Prof Alexis Jay's call for clarification.

By not correcting the record, he says she has broken the ministerial code.

Any minister found to have done so would, by convention, resign from their post.

The first minister is standing by his cabinet colleague though - insisting it's a matter of interpretation rather than factual inaccuracy.

Findlay closes by saying that if Swinney won't sack Constance he will bring a vote of no confidence in her.

He asks Swinney if he will order his MSPs to support his failing justice secretary.

Swinney says the Scottish Child Abuse inquiry, which Lady Smith is chairing, has been looking at issues of abuse and will continue that work.

Swinney repeats that the justice secretary was making a "general comment" during the Victims Bill debate.

He says the government is taking forward the essential work necessary to decide on whether a separate grooming gangs inquiry is required.

Findlay says everyone knows that Constance was not making a general point. He says even John Swinney knows this.

"She twisted a statement about England to deny victims an inquiry here in Scotland," Findlay says.

She was asked to correct this on 26 September but she didn't, he adds.

Findlay says the SNP has repeatedly closed the door to grooming gangs inquiry.

Image source, Scottish Parliament

First Minister John Swinney says Constance's comments in September's debate were a "reflection of the general comments that were made about the issues at that time".

He claims the comments were "clarified" in the minutes of the National Child Exploitation group meeting.

Findlay says that answer might have held water last week but not any more.

He says the justice secretary "brazenly misrepresented" a leading child abuse expert in order to block a grooming gang inquiry in Scotland.

Findlay says the ministerial code requires ministers to correct any errors at the earliest opportunity.

He asks why it is not obvious to John Swinney that she has broken the ministerial code.

Image source, Getty Images

The Scottish Conservatives want Justice Secretary Angela Constance to be sacked in a row over a grooming gangs inquiry while Anas Sarwar has lodged a Motion of No Confidence in her.

The row centres on what Constance said in September during a debate on Tory Liam Kerr's amendment to the victims bill where she claimed child abuse expert Prof Alexis Jay "did not support further inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation".

However, emails have now been published which contain Prof Jay's correspondence with Constance after that debate.

Prof Jay said: "You correctly quoted me as saying ‘people should just get on with action on child sexual exploitation.

"I made this comment on 7 January of this year in the context of the England and Wales public inquiry on child sexual abuse, which I chaired, on which little had been done at that time to progress my final recommendations.

“My statement followed an intervention by Elon Musk. It had nothing to do with Mr Kerr’s amendment, or the position in Scotland, as could be interpreted from your statement.

“I have expressed no views on Mr Kerr’s amendment, but I am of the opinion that the Scottish government should urgently take steps to establish reliable data about the nature and extent of child sexual exploitation by organised networks, of which so-called grooming gangs is only one component.”

She added: “I would appreciate my position being clarified.”

Image source, Scottish Parliament

As expected, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay goes on Justice Secretary Angela Constance's comments about grooming gangs.

He says Constance rejected Tory calls for a grooming gangs inquiry in Scotland and said they were not necessary.

In September, she told parliament that leading expert Prof Alexis Jay shared her views. But Prof Jay does not share her view, Mr Findlay says.

In an email to the justice secretary, Prof Jay asked for her views to be clarified.

The Tory leader asks John Swinney why the justice secretary did not correct the parliamentary record?

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has lodged a Motion of No Confidence in Justice Secretary Angela Constance ahead of First Minister's Questions.

In a social media post, external, Sarwar announced the move, saying she "can’t remain in her position".

"She misrepresented Professor Alexis Jay on the serious issue of grooming gangs and misled Parliament," he wrote.

"She has had repeated opportunities to apologise and correct the record, but failed to do so."

Political pressure is building for justice secretarypublished at 11:53 GMT

11:53 GMT

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

You don’t have to look far for clues about what might come up at FMQs this week, given both the Conservative and Labour leaders were posting messages last night calling for the justice secretary to be sacked.

The question is over whether Angela Constance misrepresented her dealings with the grooming gangs expert Prof Alexis Jay, and in doing so misled parliament.

The answer lies somewhere in a tangled web of correspondence, which the opposition say is cast iron evidence of wrongdoing and the government insists shows this is a matter of interpretation.

The point is perhaps the bigger picture, given this is a highly sensitive issue about child safeguarding – hardly the topic for political point-scoring and squabbling.

But political pressure is building. The Conservatives have been banging the drum on this for some time, but it’s notable that Labour have decided to jump on board.

The party was badly burned a while back when it attempted to oust the then-housing minister Paul McLennan, and were left hanging when others failed to rally behind them.

That underlined that you don’t want to spend too much political capital on a doomed attempt to dislodge a minister – indeed you could end up strengthening their position, if you push a vote of no confidence that fails.

John Swinney is known for being very loyal to his team, and the first minister was stony-faced when opposition MSPs were calling for Constance to go yesterday – he will be braced for further attacks today.

Image source, PA Media

Welcome to the weekly session of First Minister's Questions where John Swinney will be grilled by opposition leaders Russel Findlay, Anas Sarwar and Ross Greer.

Stick with us for all the live action and analysis.