That concludes this week's FMQs. Here are the key lines that emerged:

• Scottish Tory leader Russell FIndlay doubled down on his accusations of "corruption" involving Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain
• He said Scotland's top law officer had exercised "gross misjudgement" over a memo she sent to John Swinney - about criminal accusations against former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell
• The first minister angrily accused Findlay of talking "contemptible rubbish" - and said he had full confidence in the lord advocate
• Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pressed the first minister about whether anyone from the SNP government asked to be updated on the prosecution of Peter Murrell, to which the FM replied "no"
• Sarwar said the lord advocate appeared to give inaccurate and contradictory advice to the parliament yesterday
• Swinney again defended Dorothy Bain and insisted Sarwar was unfit to lead the Labour Party
• Alex Cole-Hamilton went on a different tack, focusing on the lack of full-time teaching jobs which he described as "absolutely brutal"
• The first minister replied that there has been an increase in post-probation employment in the last year and said there was a higher number of teachers per pupil in Scotland than in the rest of the UK

Our live page coverage is now over. Paul McLaren was today's editor. Craig Hutchison and Rachel Grant were the writers. Thank you for joining us.

Cuts to rape crisis services in Glasgow at a time when rates of sexual crime "have never been higher" are raised by Labour's Pauline McNeill.

She asks how the government can justify cuts of £3.9m to their Delivering Equally Safe fund - their core programme for tackling violence against women and girls.

Swinney says there was an increase in the funding in 2025/26, but ministers were "exploring distribution issues" around the country.

Maggie Chapman is next to pose a question and she asks for an update on the development of a Just Transition plan for the north east of Scotland.

The first minister highlights investment of £120m through the Just Transition Fund and the Energy Transition Fund.

The Green MSP says her constituents want to know when there will be a plan that provides jobs and training for oil and gas workers.

John Swinney agrees with Maggie Chapman about the requirements for a Just Transition which must be managed in an orderly fashion.

Still on education, Conservative MSP Roz McCall, raises the issue of violence in schools - referring toreports that hundreds of teachers have sought medical treatment following attacks by pupils.

She says no-one should go to work afraid of assault, but 5,200 teaching staff have needed medical attention after a pupil attack in the past five years - a worse rate than the rest of the UK. She asks Swinney how they will ensure staff safety and restore discipline in schools.

Swinney says the government is working on early intervention to address behavioural issues and ministers will continue to work with local authorities to make sure guidance is followed.

Labour's Paul O'Kane adds that the "scaffolding of support" around children with challenges has been "hollowed out" by government neglect of education.

Swinney says the resources are "in place".

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

The Scottish Lib Dem leader explains that under the SNP, three quarters of newly-qualified teachers can't get the full-time contracts they need to pay the bills or get a mortgage.

"It's absolutely brutal," Alex Cole-Hamilton says.

"One graduate has been stuck on supply lists for nine years, racking up tens of thousands of pounds worth of debt. He even tried to take his own life."

The first minister replies that there has been an increase in post-probation employment in the last year and in Scotland there is a higher number of teachers per pupil than in the rest of the UK.

Next up is Alex Cole-Hamilton, who returns to the plight of Margaret McGill, who has been ready to leave hospital for a year, but the lack of carers means she is still stuck there.

The Scottish Lib Dem leader says it seems the first minister has done "absolutley nothing" to get Mrs McGill out of hospital.

Cole-Hamilton then pivots to education, saying 400 recent graduates left teaching last year.

"Why, under the SNP, are people who are ready and raring to teach, who have grafted for their qualifications, being forced out of education?"

Firstly, Swinney replies he would be delighted to visit Mr and Mrs McGill should the opportunity arise.

The FM then turns to education and says he wants to make sure there are strong opportunities for members of the teaching profession.

Clear heads will be required to resolve this critical issuepublished at 12:41 GMT 19 February

12:41 GMT 19 February

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

John Swinney’s exchanges with Anas Sarwar were almost as angry as those with Russell Findlay.

He accused the Labour leader of lacking decency, of being desperate, of being unfit to lead a political party.

Beyond the sound and fury, we are left with two key issues in this debate.

There is a question about the specifics of this case - was there a political advantage for the SNP in knowing the extra detail about the charge, in terms of the amount of money allegedly involved in the case and the potential timescales?

The opposition insist there was, because it gave John Swinney access to information which was not yet in the public domain.

But the government does not believe there is any clear advantage there. A ballpark figure for the amount of money involved in Operation Branchform had been bandied around for years, and anyone who’s been near the judiciary lately knows how long it takes for cases to get to court.

Then there is a broader question about the way the office of Lord Advocate operates - working both as head of the prosecution service and as a government minister.

Is it suitable to have the chief law officer wear two hats in this way, when we run into complexities like this? Would it be better to have a more clearly defined separation of powers?

This is something which is actively under review by the government - an independent report is being considered by ministers.

That feels like a question which may yield a more fruitful debate - but probably not today, with tempers as high as they are.

Sarwar says this is further evidence of the SNP's "rotten culture" that puts the party before Scotland.

"Does he really expect us to believe he needed a specific warning from the lord advocate to use his favourite excuse," he says, referring to remarks about not commenting on live proceedings.

He asks Swinney to confirm the information on the Murrell case was not passed on to other SNP politicians or party officials.

The first minister says this is evidence of Sarwar's "desperation".

He says it is a matter of public record who received the information.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Sarwar says the lord advocate appeared to give inaccurate and contradictory advice to the parliament yesterday.

He raises her comments about limitations on indictments being served after it is made public.

However, he points out the Crown Office then went on to warn the media that the indictment is not a public document until it is presented in open court.

"These two statements cannot both be true," Sarwar says.

Swinney replies that the indictment becomes a public document the moment it is served on the accused.

He says the lord advocate sent a "damning letter" to Sarwar yesterday, stating he had put a "number of factual errors into the public domain" that she had to correct to "protect the rule of law".

"That tells us all we need to know about Anas Sarwar," he adds, claiming he is "unfit to lead the Labour Party".

A slight change of tack from Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who says the SNP government has previous form when it comes to applying pressure to institutions to "get the outcome it wants", linking it to the early opening of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

He asks Swinney, for the official record, if he or anyone acting on his behalf or any SNP advisor asked the lord advocate or her advisors to be updated on the prosecution of Peter Murrell.

"No", the first minister simply replies.

This row goes to the heart of Scotland's judicial system - it is truly remarkablepublished at 12:36 GMT 19 February

12:36 GMT 19 February

Phil Sim
Scotland political correspondent

These were perhaps the angriest exchanges we’ve seen between John Swinney and Russell Findlay.

And it wasn’t even about a policy dispute or something the first minister has done himself - it was about the lord advocate.

John Swinney is genuinely furious about Russell Findlay’s accusations about the conduct of Dorothy Bain.

But the Tory leader doubled down.

He appears determined to stick to this line of attack - despite mounting criticism from the legal profession.

This is about more than just personalities or a difference of opinion. Questions are being asked about the very foundations of how Scotland’s judicial and prosecution systems work and interact with government.

It is truly remarkable stuff.

Image source, Scottish Parliament TV

Swinney hits back, saying: "Dorothy Bain is an outstanding prosecutor. She is an outstanding lawyer. She has 40 years of unimpeachable service to the public interest in Scotland."

He goes on to say: "I put on record today my absolute confidence in the lord advocate in undertaking her duties."

"I am disgusted with the way Russell Findlay spoke about her yesterday and he should be ashamed of himself."

Findlay replies by saying: "This scandal is typical of an SNP government obsessed with secrecy and spin."

The Scottish Tory leader says the lord advocate is guilty of a "gross misjudgement".

"As a member of the SNP government, she's supposed to be scrupulously politically neutral," he adds.

Findlay says: "In the real world, this smacks of corruption."

"Does John Swinney now agree that the lord advocate's dual role must now end."

'Unprecedented' mauling of the lord advocate by MSPspublished at 12:17 GMT 19 February

12:17 GMT 19 February

David Cowan
Home affairs correspondent, BBC Scotland

Seasoned Holyrood observers say the savage mauling of the lord advocate by opposition MSPs at Holyrood yesterday was unprecedented.

Dorothy Bain is the head of Scotland's prosecution service, not a politician, and it was clearly a deeply uncomfortable experience for her.

Her 19 January memo informed John Swinney of the financial scale of the allegations against his party's old boss, information which didn't reach the rest of us until last week.

The Crown Office says the note was intended to update the first minister on developments in a high profile case and remind the government that "any public comment on the matter may form the basis of a legal challenge to the fairness of the proceedings".

She also told Swinney that any trial might not take place until March next year, although that would come as no surprise to anyone who watches what happens in the courts.

The affair has renewed the controversy over the lord advocate's wearing of two legal hats, as head of the Crown Office and the Scottish government's chief legal advisor.

It means she leads the service which is prosecuting Peter Murrell, and sits in the Scottish cabinet alongside SNP politicians who know him very well.

Although she has taken no part in the Crown's decision making process on his case, opposition MSPs believe her memo to the first minister crossed a line.

It is ironic that her "careful what you say" warning has provoked so much sound and fury.

And with the fairness of any eventual trial in mind, Peter Murrell's lawyers will be watching what is said very closely.

The first minister reiterates he shared the information with individuals who act on his behalf.

"Mr Findlay has made a number of comments which are quite frankly contemptible," he continues.

The FM quotes defence lawyer Thomas Ross KC on Radio Scotland Breakfast who said the comments were shameful and called on Findlay to apologise.

Findlay tells the chamber Swinney knew he had a political advantage after receiving the minute.

"Thanks to the lord advocate, John Swinney and the SNP knew the precise scale of the alleged crime while the public knew nothing," he says.

The lord advocate's "explanation is simply not credible" says Findlay.

"Who else did John Swinney share this information with?"

The first minister stresses the importance of protecting live criminal proceedings, which is why the lord advocate sent the memo to him to remind him about the risk of contempt of court.

John Swinney says the "very brief minute" sent to him was issued to the people in the government who speak on his behalf.

The Scottish Tory leader begins by saying he fully understands the law relating to live criminal proceedings.

Russell Findlay urges the first minister "not to hide behind" the law.

He turns to the "private briefing" he says the lord advocate sent to the first minister in January.

"After receiving this information, John Swinney passed it to his most senior SNP spin doctor. Why?"

Russell Findlay wastes no time in raising the controversy over the case of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell and the actions of Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain.

John Swinney is in his seat and ready to take the first question from Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay as this week's session of FMQs kicks off.