THE National's Holyrood Weekly podcast is back - with a special bumper episode featuring an exclusive interview with Cabinet Secretary Neil Gray.
Our political reporters Abbi Garton-Crosbie and Steph Brawn chat to Gray about the announcements in the Programme for Government (PfG) and to Carole Erskine from the campaign group Pregnant then Screwed, for her reaction to the childcare announcements.
READ MORE: Neil Gray: Scottish Government will not back down on short term lets licensing
After a hectic summer, Holyrood returned last week for three days of debate after First Minister Humza Yousaf's first PfG since he took over the top job in the Scottish Government.
Hear what Gray has to say on the key announcements, why Yousaf has aimed a lot of his policies at helping women, and of course, accusations that the Scottish Government are "scared" of talking about independence.
We also asked the Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Secretary how he feels taking on the brief to win back support from businesses, as both Scottish Labour and the Scottish Tories pitched themselves as the party of pro-growth and pro-business ahead of the Scottish Parliament's return.
And, Erskine (above), head of campaigns in Scotland for Pregnant then Screwed, takes us through the issues facing women taking maternity leave, getting back into work and navigating their employment rights, as well as her reaction to the PfG.
Our reporters will also take you through some of the key stories of the summer including the Scottish Government coming out in favour of decriminalisation of drugs for personal use and push for safe drug consumption rooms, and the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.
You can listen to Episode 1 of Season 2 below, on Spotify and on the Omny streaming platform.
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