JOHN Swinney has accused Malcolm Offord of spreading "disinformation" about the Scottish Government's approach to tackling drug addiction.
During First Minister's Questions, Reform's leader in Scotland called for one of next week's debates on Europe to be replaced with a discussion on Scotland's drug deaths crisis.
Offord said this would allow MSPs to consider measures such as greater access to rehabilitation, a right to recovery and harm reduction initiatives.
However, Swinney explained these were already being pursued by the government, adding that Offord was "peddling disinformation" by suggesting otherwise.
Swinney said: "It is just factually incorrect for Malcolm Offord to say that it would be a change in strategy to access rehabilitation.
That is just complete rubbish, total and utter factual inaccuracy. This government has increased rehabilitation capacity as part of the drug strategy.
"Malcolm Offord, not for the first time, peddles disinformation in this parliament."
On the consumption rooms, Swinney pushed back against the Scottish Reform leader's criticism of drug consumption rooms, assuring him that "without The Thistle consumption room, more people would have died".
Swinney then answered questions from the Scottish Labour leader, Michael Marra, who asked him to say what he'd learned from his party's "failed National Care Service Bill".
He also challenged the First Minister over comments from Dr Nora Murray-Cavanagh, chair of BMA Scotland, who said there is no evidence that reducing the number of health boards from 14 would benefit patients.
Marra repeated her warning that the plans were "the wrong set of reforms", adding they would "set Scotland on a path of a costly, time-consuming, resource-sapping reorganisation, with no serious engagement with those of us holding the service together and no clear evidence put forward on how it will benefit patients".
Swinney responded: "I've seen the comments from the BMA, and this morning I've been engaging with clinicians in the Goldon Jubilee Hospital who disagree with fundamentally with the points made by the BMA.
"And there is an active debate about those questions."
Swinney then took questions from Scottish Green Party co-leader Ross Greer, who asked him to bring Scotland's bus network back into public ownership, clarify a timescale for the delivery of the £2 bus fare cap, comparing it to a similar scheme in England.
Greer said: "The cost of living is crushing people across the country. That is why the Scottish Greens have fought so hard to make bus and train travel cheaper.
“It’s why we secured free bus travel for young people and scrapped peak rail fares. I worked with the now First Minister on both of those efforts – they’ve saved families thousands of pounds.
"Will the First Minister extend the £2 bus fare cap to the rest of Scotland by the end of this year and help more people save money on their commute?”
The First Minister responded, saying the government was trying to roll out the cap as quickly as possible, and in reference to Mr Greer's comment on England, said: "England does not have the abolition of peak rail fares. England does not have a universal under-22 bus offering in place."
Questioning from Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay asked about abuses of the benefits system, citing a conversation he had with a whistleblower who "spent two decades advising people about benefits".
He said they reported "rampant abuse within the benefits system" and were "ordered to act for those who admitted their claims were a lie.
"And she saw colleagues coaching applicants to cheat the system."
Swinney said: "I don't know their source or substance" and said that Findlay, in an earlier comment, had "misrepresented the government's child poverty delivery plan."
From Alex-Cole Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader started his question by saying that, about how the Oversight Board of Scotland's children says, too many promises to young people in care remain on paper, and resources don't match children's needs.
The official promise refers to Nicola Sturgeon's 2020 pledge that all care-experienced children and young people in Scotland will grow up loved, safe, and respected by 2030.
Cole-Hamilton asked the First Minister whether he agreed with the oversight board's assessment.
Responding, the FM said: "I agree on the point that the promise has got to be kept by 2030. There is work that's to be undertaken, of course, that's got to be addressed in the years to come.
"Significant progress has been made by the government and other public authorities."
