diff --git a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/InteractionRecorder.java b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/InteractionRecorder.java
index dafa2fd..66b2d38 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/InteractionRecorder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/InteractionRecorder.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ public class InteractionRecorder {
 	static Map<String, Map<String, Set<String>>> runToInteractionMap = Collections
 			.synchronizedMap(new HashMap<String, Map<String, Set<String>>>());
 	
-	public InteractionUtils interactionUtils;
+	private InteractionUtils interactionUtils;
 
 	private InteractionRecorder() {
 		super();
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ public void persist() {
 	}
 
 	private File getUsageFile() {
-		return new File(interactionUtils.getInteractionServiceDirectory(),
+		return new File(getInteractionUtils().getInteractionServiceDirectory(),
 				"usage");
 	}
 
@@ -152,4 +152,12 @@ public void load() {
 		}
 	}
 
+	public InteractionUtils getInteractionUtils() {
+		return interactionUtils;
+	}
+
+	public void setInteractionUtils(InteractionUtils interactionUtils) {
+		this.interactionUtils = interactionUtils;
+	}
+
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/preference/InteractionPreference.java b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/preference/InteractionPreference.java
index 439dc81..c2ba982 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/preference/InteractionPreference.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/preference/InteractionPreference.java
@@ -55,8 +55,6 @@ public class InteractionPreference {
 
 	private final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(InteractionPreference.class);
 
-	private static InteractionPreference instance = null;
-
 	private final Properties properties;
 
 	private File getConfigFile() {
@@ -71,7 +69,8 @@ private File getConfigFile() {
 		return configFile;
 	}
 
-	private InteractionPreference() {
+	private InteractionPreference(ApplicationConfiguration appConfig) {
+		setAppConfig(appConfig);
 		final File configFile = this.getConfigFile();
 		this.properties = new Properties();
 		if (configFile.exists()) {
diff --git a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/velocity/InteractionVelocity.java b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/velocity/InteractionVelocity.java
index 498d776..d0601b2 100644
--- a/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/velocity/InteractionVelocity.java
+++ b/src/main/java/net/sf/taverna/t2/activities/interaction/velocity/InteractionVelocity.java
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ public class InteractionVelocity {
 
 	public static Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(InteractionVelocity.class);
 
-//	private static boolean velocityInitialized = false;
+	private static boolean velocityInitialized = false;
 
 	private static final String TEMPLATE_SUFFIX = ".vm";
 
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ public class InteractionVelocity {
 	
 	@SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
 	public synchronized void checkVelocity() {
-
+		if (velocityInitialized) { 
+			return;
+		}
+		velocityInitialized = true;
 		ve.setProperty(RuntimeConstants.RESOURCE_LOADER, "string");
 		ve.setProperty("resource.loader.class",
 				"org.apache.velocity.runtime.resource.loader.StringResourceLoader");
diff --git a/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context-osgi.xml b/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context-osgi.xml
index 66cc267..f3a35e0 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context-osgi.xml
+++ b/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context-osgi.xml
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@
 
 	<reference id="credentialManager" interface="net.sf.taverna.t2.security.credentialmanager.CredentialManager" />
 
-	<reference id="app-config"
-		interface="uk.org.taverna.configuration.app.ApplicationConfiguration" />
+  <reference id="applicationConfiguration"
+         interface="uk.org.taverna.configuration.app.ApplicationConfiguration" />
+
 		
 	<service ref="interactionRunDeletionListener" interface="net.sf.taverna.t2.workflowmodel.RunDeletionListener" />
 
-</beans:beans>
\ No newline at end of file
+</beans:beans>
diff --git a/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context.xml b/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context.xml
index 3f244cc..a629d65 100644
--- a/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context.xml
+++ b/src/main/resources/META-INF/spring/interaction-activity-context.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 	</bean>
 	
 	<bean id="interactionUtils" class="net.sf.taverna.t2.activities.interaction.InteractionUtils">
-		<property name="appConfig" ref="app-config" />
+		<property name="appConfig" ref="applicationConfiguration" />
 		<property name="interactionRecorder" ref="interactionRecorder" />
 		<property name="interactionPreference" ref="interactionPreference" />
 	</bean>
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 	</bean>
 	
 	<bean id="interactionPreference" class="net.sf.taverna.t2.activities.interaction.preference.InteractionPreference">
-		<property name="appConfig" ref="app-config" />
+		<constructor-arg ref="applicationConfiguration" />
 	</bean>
 	
 	<bean id="interactionVelocity"
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@
 		init-method="checkVelocity">
 	</bean>
 
-</beans>
\ No newline at end of file
+</beans>