Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is making public his first legislative programme for government.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has outlined his first legislative programme for government.
The SNP administration is setting out plans on 11 bills for the coming year, as well as further measures not requiring legislation.
He set out plans on 11 bills for the coming year, as well as further measures not requiring legislation.
Mr Salmond is facing an upcoming Treasury spending round which is likely to be tight but he will tell MSPs that a lot can be done with a little.
Mr Salmond said the programme of his minority SNP administration would need to "persuade" other parties and seek to find shared values and objectives.
Opposition critics have said his plans fall short of the SNP's promises.
Bills include the abolition of bridge tolls, scrapping the graduate endowment and safeguarding rural schools.
Mr Salmond is expected to pledge legislation giving patients a bigger stake in health policy, including direct elections to health boards.
Other legislation will seek to give patients a bigger stake in health policy, including direct elections to health boards.
'Weighty constraints'
There will be more modernisation of the courts system and a bill to reform the law on rape.
There will be more modernisation of the courts system and a bill to reform the law on rape in a statement likely to last about 20 minutes.
Another bill will support Glasgow's bid to hold the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
A bill to scrap bridge tolls has already been published, and ministers also want to legislate to scrap the graduate endowment.
The government also intends to act without the need for formal legislation, for example on raising the age for buying tobacco from 16 to 18, scrapping prescription charges for those with chronic conditions and pegging back business rates.
But they also intend to act without the need for formal legislation, for example scrapping prescription charges for those with chronic conditions and pegging back business rates.
BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor said there are "weighty constraints" on Mr Salmond.
He said: "He does not have a majority at Holyrood and the spending round that is coming up is going to be tight.
This is a broad, comprehensive programme that certainly gives plenty for parliamentarians to get their teeth into Alex SalmondFirst Minister
"So consequently what he is setting out is not just a programme for legislation, it is what he calls a 'programme for Scotland' with a published document to back that up.
"There will be 11 bills and pretty much all of these will gain support from one or other of the parties. In other words they will get through. He is doing what he can."
He added: "The really contentious legislation that he has in mind, scrapping the council tax and replacing that with a local income tax, he's going to have to consult on that because Labour and the Tories hate it and the Lib Dems don't like the particular scheme."
Mr Salmond told BBC Radio 4's Today: "This is a broad, comprehensive programme that certainly gives plenty for parliamentarians to get their teeth into - but more importantly, has plenty that will be supported in the Scottish population as a whole."
Mr Salmond said the SNP had achieved the objectives for its first 100 days without legislation.
There were "hugely ambitious" bills within the programme but many of the "great issues", such as improving skills and tackling chronic economic underperformance could be tackled without legislation.
He acknowledged the autumn spending review could be tight but said: "We will work our way through our programme in a four-year term in the same way as we worked our way through our first 100 day programme.
"You can achieve a great deal in government by competence and direction, by seeking consensus where we can find it, and by having a vision for the future of Scotland - all three aspects which our predecessors lack, which is why we are in government and they're in opposition."
