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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.

Between 29 November and 14 December 2007, the First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and I raised various issues with officials including the Chief Planner in the Scottish Government about the facts surrounding letters received from parliamentarians from four different parties concerning the Aviemore planning applications and the need to check with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency whether there were any misunderstandings or matters of process that were unnecessarily delaying proper consideration of these applications>.

The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, met with representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald on a number of occasions.

Th Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism met respresentatives of  Mr Macdonald in Aviemore on 26 October 2007.

The Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable to SEPA''s board. SEPA''s board, like other non-departmental public bodies'' boards, is appointed by ministers and accountable to Scottish ministers. The precise nature of the relationship is set out in the Environment Act 1995 and SEPA''s management statement.

On 6 December 2007, the First Minister discussed with the Minister for Community Safety the letters received from cross-party parliamentarians about the Aviemore planning applications and sought information on the background to the issue from Mr Ewing as constituency MSP.

On 7 December 2007, the First Minister discussed with me the representations submitted by cross-party parliamentarians about the Aviemore applications which suggested that Scottish Government agencies might be responsible for delaying matters.

Mental health services for those with sensory loss continue to develop and improve. For example, a new dedicated community service and a deaf counselling service are now operational and have been well received by service users in Lothian. National access to specialist in-patient services when needed is long established through referrals to the John Denmark Unit in Manchester with attention to transitions a feature of the care pathway.

We are examining with partners the merits of a Scotland-based in-patient facility and how to further improve regional specialist community services.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-8096 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are onthe Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.