 The next item of business is topical questions. In order to get in as many people as possible, I'd be grateful for short and succinct questions and answers to match. At question number one, I call Tess White. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Fire Brigades Union on its plans to remove the bottom of classroom doors. Cabinet Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville. The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Fire Brigades Union and will continue to have constructive dialogue on any matter of concern. However, as the member will be aware, the Scottish Government has no such plans. Contributions in this chamber last week were based on a willful misunderstanding of examples of mitigations that local authorities may implement under certain circumstances to improve ventilation and problematic spaces in schools. Those examples, which included uses of air-cleaning devices, installation of small mechanical vents and adjustment of doors, were used as a means to generate the overall costs of the up to £5 million top-up fund made available to local authorities to improve ventilation in schools. That was set out in the letter to the education children and young people's committee, which stated the precise and medial measures used in each problematic space should be informed local circumstances and expert assessment by local authority teams. Our guidance on reducing risks in schools supports expert local authority teams and makes it clear that local authorities must consider legal health and safety obligations, including fire safety. Officials have spoken with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service regarding this matter. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed that they understand the Scottish Government's approach in seeking to improve ventilation in schools in line with use of practice. They are happy to provide advice and support to local authorities regarding any changes to structures that may have an impact on fire risk assessments. Cabinet Secretary, a willful misunderstanding? In recent days we have had two significant interventions on these plans or misunderstandings. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that it would strongly advise those responsible to contact its fire safety. Before implementing such changes or talking about such misunderstandings, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport said that such proposals are definitely misunderstandings. The absolute interpretation that has been given by Opposition parties is an absolute deliberate misunderstanding of events. I have already read out what the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has said, and I absolutely concur with them, as with all aspects around fire and safety that those discussions should continue at a very local level. I am with the specific examples, but the absolute truth of the matter is that those are misleading reports that have been given, because when the Covid-19 ventilation short-life working group were asked to look at the media reporting following on from this mis-importation in the chamber, it has confirmed that adjusting the undercut of a non-fire door can be necessary. If, for example, the installation of a small mechanical vent system changes the air pressure in the room, making the door difficult to open, which could present a hazard. That is exactly why the specific measure was included as an element of the example scenario. Ventilation must be viewed systematically and introducing changes such as mechanical ventilation that can have knock-on impacts on other aspects of ventilation and of health and safety. That is exactly why the examples were given as they were, as a specific scenario. Tess White Thank you, Presiding Officer. Deliberate misunderstandings, the cabinet secretary says. Parents, the length and breadth of Scotland are looking at these plans or, as you say, misunderstandings with consternation and concern. Even securely closed non-fire doors can help to slow the spread of fire and smoke inhalation, its common sense. The Scottish Government has had two years to sort out these misunderstandings, as you say, yet it is still coming forward with proposals that should have been considered in 2020, not 2022. Does the cabinet secretary confirm that spending £300,000 on chopping off the bottom of doors is not going to happen? If we can perhaps get into the absolute specifics of scenarios when they would happen, the example scenario that did have three elements was a use of an air-cleaning device as a temporary mitigation, the installation of a small mechanical vent and the adjustment of the door to undercut to improve air flow. The latter element is absolutely required to be included because as I have already read out, the installation of a mechanical ventilation can change the air pressure in a room, leading to the door being harder to open and potentially itself a health and safety issue. With the greatest respect to the member who, I am afraid, has joined her colleagues in the Scottish Conservatives by adding to the deliberate misunderstanding of this, we will continue to listen to the experts on health and safety, local authorities, who are responsible for making any changes specific to the requirement of each room, will continue to have those same discussions, but are at a very local level specific to any examples. That is exactly what parents, young people and teachers would expect. I have got some very great concerns about some of the nonsense scaremongering that has been happening in this chamber in relation to the safety of pupils and staff in our schools by opposition colleagues. For the benefit of pupils and teachers alike, can the cabinet secretary set out how the Scottish Government is supporting local authorities to ensure that our classrooms are well ventilated and that our schools are safe as possible? Throughout the pandemic, we have worked closely with our colleagues in local authorities to ensure that the safety of the children and all educational staff remains our overriding priority while minimising further disruption to learning. We have been very clear that Covid mitigations need to stay in place, but no longer than is absolutely necessary. We absolutely have to balance the appropriate caution and will remove the mitigations as soon as we possibly can. However, our support specifically on ventilation has included the First Minister's announcement on 11 January about the additional capital funding of £5 million. That is on top of the £10 million of funding that was for ventilation in C2 monitoring schools. That was also on top of the previous £90 million for Covid logistics that could be used for purposes including ventilation. Our guidance, as always, continues to be informed by expert advice. Michael Marra It should be a matter of considerable regret that the handling of the issue by the Government has descended into the kind of ridicule and concern that we are seeing in newspapers across the country. I have raised this with the Minister on no fewer than 12 occasions in this chamber and in committee. It is vital now that to rebuild confidence among teachers, families and pupils and to ensure good ventilation in Scottish schools, the Scottish Government should now finally back Labour's plan to install two air filters in every classroom while the Minister recognises that that is a plan that can sort out the problem. Cabinet Secretary With the greatest respect to Michael Marra, he continues to come back with the same plan. My answer will continue to be the same. It is not based on the expert advice that we have. When we listen to what the ventilation groups are suggesting that we do, with the greatest respect to him, that is what I will base my advice on and the guidance that the Government will put forward. I absolutely will continue to listen to what Michael Marra says, but if he continues to come back with the same plan, it is not based on evidence or advice or what is happening in the rest of the UK, then I am sorry, but my answer will continue to be that I will listen to the experts and our guidance will be based on that. Willie Rennie I read the letter, Cabinet Secretary. It was not an example. It was costed. It was costed for £2,000 at £150 a time, costing £300,000. The cabinet secretary is now being laughed at across the country for her proposals. She should ditch them and invest as Michael Marra has just set out. If they are good enough for 2,000 classes, they should be good enough for 50,000 classes. Invest in the air filters and stop this nonsense of cutting the bottom of doors. Cabinet Secretary? There is no such plan within the Scottish Government guidance. The letter gave an example scenario that I have went into in detail. Cabinet Secretary, if you could just give me a minute, please. Could I please ask that we have some quiet when the Cabinet Secretary is responding? Thank you. On my free, Presiding Officer, they are just not actually interested in the detail off the answer and about how the guidance has actually came forward for it. The discussion around the need for remedial work within schools has been something that we have, of course, moved very quickly on with local authorities. They did identify some problematic spaces. As I have read out in an earlier letter to the committee, very much of that was requiring exceptionally small-scale repairs being required for that. We did still ensure as a Government that there was additional £5 million for the funding to ensure that, if other mitigation measures were required, there was no barrier to that from the funding. We will continue to work with local authorities to ensure that they have the adequate resources to provide a reassurance. For example, I can say that problematic spaces are being addressed. We have had recent feedback from officials in one of our larger local authorities who are continuously assessing spaces—around, in their case, £4,500. In that, during January, only three were found to be problematic. Remedial work is already being undertaken, but we have, as I said, will continue to provide funding to ensure that there is no barrier to any improvements that any local authority requires. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent national records of Scotland report on healthy life expectancy in Scotland, showing that healthy life expectancy has decreased in each of the last four years for females and in each of the last three years for males. Increasing life expectancy and reducing health inequalities across Scotland remains a clear ambition for this Government, and it is at the heart of our Covid recovery strategy. We need to support those in our most deprived areas, where healthy life expectancy is 24 years lower than in our least deprived areas. By targeting our actions to areas in communities most in need, we will seek to ensure equity in our approach to avoid widening inequalities further. We are committed to providing £9 million a year for smoking cessation services and £5.7 million for weight management services. However, socioeconomic inequalities drive health inequalities, so our public health efforts are also complemented by wide-ranging cross-government action, including provision of three school meals and increasing the number of hours of free childcare. Paul O'Kane. Hi, thank you for that answer. The fact that healthy life expectancy in this country is going backwards is nothing short of a scandal. This is a fundamental measure of how our society is progressing. Years of public health failures that predate the pandemic and mounting pressure on our NHS are robbing people of their best years. The two areas, with the lowest number of years spent in good health, are both in my west Scotland region, and are inclined for males at 54.4 years and north Ayrshire for females at 54 years. Those communities have experienced years of cuts to health services and to local council budgets, which provide vital community support, social work and regeneration services. Just a few months ago, the Government cut vital funding in those communities to close the poverty-related attainment gaps. When will the Government act to properly fund services to improve health and wellbeing across Scotland and tackle those disgraceful health inequalities? Tackling health inequalities is a major concern for Governments and communities around the world, and Scotland faces the same challenge as many other countries. We will use all of our available powers to address the impact of the current cost of living crisis. That includes bringing forward legislation. From a sedentary position, Conservative colleagues are searching for 15 years. We have had 11 years of austerity, of welfare reform, of disinvestment in the policies that can protect these children. We have the child cap, the benefit freeze. Those things have an impact, and those things have a cost. We are fighting health inequalities with one hand tied behind our back. We are spending £600 million a year mitigating harsh, brutal Tory policies that impact on the poorest people in our society. Just once, I would appreciate it if those benches would highlight that issue. What I did not detect in the minister's answer was that, after 14 years in Government, the SNP should have any acceptance that this shameful situation has unfolded under its watch. In Scotland, the gap in premature death is at its widest since 2007, when the SNP came to power. At 26 years between the most affluent and least affluent areas, it is at its widest ever. It is clear that radical solutions are needed, such as those that were advocated by Professor David Kerr of Oxford University, who has called for the implementation of the framework devised by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, which would see powers and funding for education, public health and early years of employment being devolved downwards to local communities to find solutions that work for our diverse cities, towns and villages. The Government talks big and does little. Is it not time to take a radical approach to tackling those issues? In answer, we are taking a radical approach. We have invested in 1140 hours of childcare, and we are investing further this time. We have brought in the Scottish child payment, which is countered by the reduction in the universal credit payment. We are doing what we can to tackle fuel poverty and food insecurity. In fact, in Scotland, food parcel usage decreased this year, the only country in the UK where that has happened. We have lower fuel poverty in Scotland than we have in the rest of the UK. Those things are impossible to tackle fully without all of the levers that are available to the UK Government. We do not have employment law. We have, in Scotland— Minister, I would be grateful to everyone across the chamber—certainly to those who are joining in this session verbally when they should not be, if we could hear from the minister—and minister briefly, please. In the UK, we are the sixth richest or fifth richest country in the world. We have the highest levels of poverty and inequality UK-wide in north-west Europe. We have the highest level of in-work poverty, and your party would not enable this Parliament to take power over employment law. Your party blocked this Parliament taking power over employment law, and we have the highest levels of in-work poverty in Europe. To reverse the trend of falling healthy life expectancy, we need to see drastic improvements in Scotland's public health. A group of nine organisations, including the BHF and Cancer Research UK, recently published a progress report on health harming product action, which was critical of the lack of progress that is being made towards tackling unhealthy environments. Does the minister agree that we need to implement bold policies that address the root cause of poor health and tackle unhealthy environments by restricting the promotion and availability of harmful products such as alcohol, unhealthy food and tobacco? I absolutely agree with that. We have a programme of work on all those issues, so we are tackling restricting promotions on less healthy food and drink, which we are working with the UK Government to do. We are evaluating the impact that minimum unit pricing of alcohol has had on that bold policy that this Parliament brought forward to tackle that issue, which has so long blighted Scotland and shortened our lives in Scotland. We have a refreshed tobacco action plan. Just this week, we are launching a consultation on vaping. There is a great deal of work going on to tackle health inequalities, to tackle the unhealthy environment that we live in. However, we cannot tackle health inequalities without tackling income inequality and wealth inequality, and it is absolutely crazy to think that we can.