committee

This means the loss of parliamentary funding for things like office budgets and technology equipment, as well as fewer chances to ask questions of the government and sit on committees.

Mahmood told the committee the Supreme Court had "handled things very sensitively".

With an increasing number going card-only, the committee said prices would rise for essential goods and services in the remaining outlets that accepted cash.

Prof O'Neill - who previously told Holyrood's education committee as many as 700 posts might have to go - said a number of steps still needed to be completed for the new proposals to work.

For years, she managed the parent company’s political action committee.