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No.

Scottish ministers did not consider using powers of direction over the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in relation to SEPA''s role as statutory consultee for the planning applications submitted by Aviemore Highland Resort Ltd.

As a statutory consultee in the planning process, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has responsibility for providing advice directly to planning authorities.

I have never raised operational matters with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in relation to SEPA''s statutory role and advice on individual planning applications. I have, on occasion, discussed matters of process, procedure and timescales with SEPA.

All non-departmental public bodies are required to work to, and be aware of, the Scottish Government''s strategic priorities and objectives. They operate with a degree of independence and flexibility in areas of work where direct hands on control would be inappropriate.

The procedures to be followed prior to ministers issuing any direction to a  non-departmental public body or other public agency, including any requirement to consult affected parties or publish the direction, are normally set out in the relevant legislation. Different procedures apply depending on the statutory powers under which the direction is being made.

I had obtained advice from officials on the general position in relation to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency''s responses to the Aviemore planning applications. However, having received urgent representations from parliamentarians from four different parties expressing concern over these applications, I decided to contact the agency to check there were no misunderstandings or matters of process for SEPA that were unnecessarily holding up proper consideration of the applications. Such actions are wholly consistent with the desire of this administration to improve the process of government and to give a better service to the people of Scotland. I believe I would have been in dereliction of my duties as a minister had I not done so.

I met the Convenor and the Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority on 5 December 2007 to discuss their plans for taking forward the business of the authority over the coming year. In the course of this meeting the convenor referred to the significant media and local interest, including local MSP interest, in the Aviemore planning applications and informed me how the matter was being handled by the authority.

On 7 December I discussed with the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency the process and timescales for SEPA''s work assessment with the Aviemore planning applications.

The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, has raised issues with different public agencies concerning the Aviemore planning applications on a number of occasions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment raised issues with his officials in the light of correspondence from the constituency MSP on 29 November 2007. Officials were subsequently in touch with SEPA.

I first spoke to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency during the morning of Friday 7 December 2007. I spoke to the Agency again, in the person of its Chief Executive, some hours later when he updated me on the issues in questions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9048 on 25 February 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.