If you're just joining us, here are the key lines that emerged from the opposition party leaders' FMQs:

• Alex Cole-Hamilton, of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, was able to ask the first question after the presiding officer rearranged the order of leaders' questions. He expressed solidarity with Scotland's Muslim community after an attack in Edinburgh on Friday
• He then asked how many of those prisoners released early went on to reoffend and how many were back behind bars, adding that sexual crime is the highest it's been since 1971
• The FM denied the government had been "dragging its heels" and insisted his government was entirely focused on making sure women and girls were protected
• Russell Findlay raised the issue of SNP whistleblowers from the SNP's audit and finance committee, requesting an apology for Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie
• When Findlay said Swinney was terrified of an inquiry into the SNP finances, the first minister accused him of calling for an inquiry into the victim of Murrell's crimes - the SNP
• Gillian Mackay, for the Greens, asked if the government would stand with communities to take on big businesses building hyperscale data centres
• Swinney said he would consider whether the Scottish government should provide planning guidance
• Labour's Anas Sarwar asked about post-school education and skills, following a "damning" report from Audit Scotland
• Swinney said the Scottish government would work with Labour to help bridge the skill gap and increase apprenticeship schemes
• Following the court ruling that transgender prisoners cannot be help in jails for members of the opposite sex, Malcolm Offord - Reform's leader in Scotland - asked if the principles should be rolled out across the public sector and if Swinney would ensure informational publications by activist groups comply
• Swinney said guidance would be consistent with the ruling
• Offord then asks, tongue-in-cheek, if the items purchased with the embezzled money should be brought together as the "Murrell collection" as part of the nation's history, such as the fountain pen Nicola Sturgeon signed her resignation with going to the People's Palace as the People's Pen
• John Swinney retorted with a solid "no"

That's all from the live page team today. Catherine Lyst was the editor and the writers were Rachel Grant and Craig Hutchison. Thanks for joining us.

Issue of SNP's finances not going awaypublished at 15:12 BST

15:12 BST

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

Today’s FMQS gives an indication of some of the key issues the Scottish government will face going forward into the autumn.

Unusually, health – one of Labour’s favourite topics – was not covered today, but prisoner numbers, crime rates and education are all perennial policy areas that we can expect the government to be challenged on throughout this parliament.

Justice is an area that both Reform and the Conservatives, in particular, are keen to suggest the Scottish government is failing on.

But alongside the performance in areas of policy, that issue of the SNP’s finances does not look to be going away, and John Swinney’s attempts to draw a line under it are being consistently frustrated by the ongoing questions about whether those at the top of the SNP could have done more earlier to uncover Peter Murrell’s crimes.

The Reform UK Scotland leader asks for the items purchased with the embezzled money to be brought together as the "Murrell collection".

Offord says the fountain pen Nicola Sturgeon signed her resignation with should go to the "People's Palace to become the People's Pen."

"This part of Scotland's history must not be lost," he says.

John Swinney replies: "No, I'm going to get on delivering for the people of Scotland."

Change of culture still needed?published at 15:01 BST

15:01 BST

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

Russell Findlay’s call for an apology to whistleblowers comes after two former members of the SNP’s Finance and Audit Committee gave an interview to The Sun.

Alison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie said they were bullied by Nicola Sturgeon when they tried to sound the alarm about the lack of information they received on the party’s finances.

The pair blame Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney for “enabling” Peter Murrell’s £400,000 embezzlement.

John Swinney has been trying to draw a line under the issue following the conviction of Peter Murrell, but they suggest that there hasn’t been the change of culture in the party that is needed to prevent another scenario of something similar happening again.

While no inquiry will go ahead at Holyrood, it’s not an issue that looks set to go away for John Swinney and the SNP.

The first minister hits back, accusing Reform UK Scotland MSP Thomas Kerr of trivialising the attacks of Muslim members of the community.

Swinney adds: "That was just an insulting lot of drivel from Malcolm Offord."

Image source, PA Media

In May Nicola Sturgeon's lawyer defended her decision to answer "no comment" to detectives' questions following her arrest as part of a probe into SNP finances.

The Scottish Sun reported, external that the former first minister of Scotland "sat in silence for hours" at Falkirk police station following her arrest on 11 June 2023 during Operation Branchform.

Sturgeon's solicitor Aamer Anwar said the answer was standard legal advice and rejected claims it hindered the investigation which this week resulted in the conviction of her estranged husband Peter Murrell for embezzlement.

Anwar added that Sturgeon had later provided a "detailed written response" to Police Scotland questions.

Read more here.

The Reform UK Scotland leader welcomes the answer, saying he was dreading the FM would come back with a "long-winded no comment".

Offord pivots and asks: "Is saying no comment ever an acceptable response to a sequence of serious questions?"

He says Nicola Sturgeon is "Miss no comment" and has moved to London for lower taxes and he asks if her second memoir will be entitled "Frankly I don't give a damn".

Offord asks if the FM agrees that the "no comment saga must be part of the forthcoming inquiry into Murrellgate".

Thorny issue of prisoner numberspublished at 14:54 BST

14:54 BST

Jenni Davidson
BBC Scotland senior politics reporter

Prisoner numbers is a thorny issue for the Scottish government, and one that does not have any easy answers.

We’ve just had a change of justice secretary, but it’s an issue that goes beyond one person to resolve.

There’s no way to instantly increase prison capacity, and prison numbers have been consistently going up, despite several rounds of early prisoner releases of prisoners serving less than four years.

The fact that the government is expected to announce plans this afternoon for the early release of longer-term prisoners shows this is an issue the government is still struggling to find a solution to.

"I lead a government that believes in, and follows, the rule of law," replies the first minister.

Swinney says Lady Ross's ruling was "crystal clear and has been implemented already".

He adds: "I do not intend to talk about individual cases."

Guidance will be consistent with the ruling, he adds.

Image source, PA Media

Transgender prisoners are being moved to jails according to their biological sex, after the Scottish government confirmed it would not appeal a legal ruling.

On Friday, Lady Ross ruled, external that Scottish Prison Service (SPS) guidance allowing transgender prisoners to be held in jails for the opposite sex was unlawful based on a Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman in equality law.

First Minister John Swinney confirmed that the Scottish government would not appeal a court judgement that prisoners must be housed according to their biological sex.

For Women Scotland (FWS), the campaign group that brought the case to court, said it was pleased the government had "accepted the inevitable".

Read more here.

Finally Malcolm Offord gets to his feet and asks if the first minister welcomes the landmark ruling on the case brought by the "excellent organisation For Women Scotland".

On Friday Lady Ross ruled that Scottish Prison guidance allowing transgender prisoners to be held in jails for the opposite sex was unlawful.

"Will he ensure that it is implemented in full, in letter and in spirit, as soon as possible?" asks the Reform Scotland UK leader.

He asks that the principles of this ruling should be rolled out across the public sector and ensure informational publications by activist groups comply.

Does the first minister share his relief that Isla Bryson, "apparently known in prison as Isla Man", will now be retained into a male jail and upon release should not be allowed access to any female toilets in Scotland?

Isla Bryson, a transgender rapist, was jailed for eight years for attacks on two women before changing gender in 2023. The place where she served her sentence has been the subject of a heated debate.

Sarwar says it is important to assess what young people are doing in the years after school and says the Scottish government is failing on its apprenticeship numbers.

He asks Swinney to provide an apprenticeship guarantee.

Swinney says core college funding has increased and the government is providing £198m per year to support thousands of new apprenticeships, with an aim to reach 150,000 new apprenticeships over this parliament.

When Sarwar asks for further commitment to bridge the skills gap, the first minister says his points are reasonable and the government will work with Labour as they need wider parliamentary support.

Anas Sarwar, leader of Scottish Labour, starts by referring to the spate of stabbings in Edinburgh on Friday, saying an attack on one "is an attack on all of us" and "hate has no place in our Scotland".

He asks about post-school education and skills, following a "damning" report from Audit Scotland, asking if Swinney accepts the findings of the report.

Swinney says he does. But he says the government has "rationalised" this with new laws since the work on the report was carried out.

He says 93.5% of young people now have a positive destination when they leave school.

The Scottish Greens co-leader asks for a timescale of a moratorium on these hyperscale data centre applications.

The first minister says he appreciates the urgency of this application and accepts that the government must be responsive to concerns.

Mackay says the most significant impact is the combined energy use and says councils can't make decisions on this issue without government guidance.

Will the FM announce a pause on the applications?, she asks.

The first minister explains that he will explore whether decisions on these applications can be taken at a local level.

On Tuesday, former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell was sentenced to five years and three months in jail after he admitted to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

Murrell - the estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon - used the funds to buy goods ranging from cars and a motorhome to kitchenware and toiletries.

The 61-year-old's sentence was backdated to 25 May, when he was remanded in custody after pleading guilty.

He did not react as his sentence was delivered, staring straight ahead before being led away in handcuffs.

Today's Sun newspaper reports on two former SNP party finance officials who blamed Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney for "enabling" Peter Murrell' £400,000 SNP fraud.

• Look back on Peter Murrell's sentencing hearing
• Shame and ridicule - but no motive
• New pictures show dozens of items bought illegally by Peter Murrell

"I understand the concerns that have been raised here about the enironmental impact and the impact on energy resources that are emerging from the proliferation of applications for hyperscale data centres," says the first minister.

Swinney says he is giving active consideration to whether the Scottish government should provide planning guidance to balance the rapid expansion of hyperscale data centres.

Image source, SDC

A data centre which developers say would represent a £2bn investment at a rural spot in the Borders has been described by opponents as a "monster" which would drain "the life and beauty from the landscape".

The Sunlaws Development Company (SDC) said it would create 145 high-quality local jobs with its Southside proposal at a site to the west of Duns between the villages of Longformacus and Westruther.

However, a campaign group has urged those behind the project to drop their plans.

Kathleen White, a member of Save the Lammermuirs – Stop the Data Centre, (SLSDC) said campaigners believed it was "the wrong development in the wrong place".

Read more here.

Gillian Mackay is the next opposition party leader to pose questions to John Swinney.

The Scottish Greens co-convener focuses on the issue of hyperscale data centres - she says more than 6,000 people have written to the FM calling for a moratorium.

Mackay explains: "Communities are rightly worried about the environmental impact."

She asks if John Swinney will stand with communities and take on "big tech" or will he "continue to allow a free for all on hyperscale data centres".

Findlay says the SNP committee members were refused access to basic information about the party's finances and Swinney was "at the heart of the cover-up", then and now.

He claims Swinney is terrified of an inquiry into the SNP finances.

The first minister says Findlay, the champion of victim inquiries, is asking for the first time for an inquiry into the victim of Murrell's crimes.

Russell Findlay, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, begins by congratulating his colleague Douglas Lumsden on his election as MP for Aberdeen South, and welcoming his new colleague James Adam to Holyrood.

He goes on to raise the issue of SNP whistleblowers, external from the SNP's audit and finance committee who raised concerns at the "height of Peter Murrell's crime spree".

Findlay criticised Sturgeon, Swinney and the new victim's minister "who tried to bully them into silence".

He asks Swinney to apologise to Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie for his role in the party finances scandal.

Swinney says these comments are "baseless".