The SNP went on the offensive

The Nationalists unveiled a poster outside Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh where the Conservatives were revealing their election pledges.

The poster carried the message that the Conservatives were "history" and had no part in Scotland's future.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats launched a new pledge on nurse recruitment, as part of its drive for votes in the 1 May poll.

Prison service

The Lib Dems promised to pay off nurses' student debt in exchange for commitment to the NHS.

Labour unveiled radical plans to scrap the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) as the party focused its election campaign on tackling crime.

It is promising a US-style, one stop corrections body to replace the prison service and take the burden off local social work departments.

The new Correctional Agency would deal with offenders behind bars and in the community.

Labour wants to shake-up the prison service

At present, administering prison sentences is the work of the SPS and administering non-custodial sentences such as community work is the responsibility of local authority social work justice staff.

Under Labour's plan, a single agency would oversee and monitor both.

This, it is argued, would enable more focus to be placed on reducing reoffending.

The SNP concentrated its energy on attacking the Tories, with Fiona Hyslop unveiling a poster which will be toured around Scotland.

'Right-wing man'

It showed a glum and pasty-looking UK Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith on a yellow background beside the word "hisTORY".

Miss Hyslop said: "The poster is reminding voters that David McLetchie, the Tory leader in Scotland, was Mr Duncan Smith's 'right-wing man"'.

She added: "The word history also means that Tories are part of the past in Scotland and not its future.

"This election is a two-horse race between the SNP and Labour."