Europe’s Aeolus space laser mission, which is designed to make unprecedented maps of Earth’s winds, has reached a long-awaited key milestone.

Engineers at Airbus in the UK have finally managed to bolt together all the elements of the satellite after overcoming major technical challenges.
Aeolus is now set for several months of testing before being sent into orbit next year.
That will be 10 years on from the originally envisaged launch date.
“It’s been a long time coming but it’s a hugely important mission,” said Dr Ralph Cordey from Airbus.
“Operating lasers in space is not easy, but I’m pleased we’ve persevered with this technology in Europe because it has many potential applications, not just in measuring the wind."
The European Space Agency (Esa) has stuck with the project because of the nature of the data it will return.
It promises to give a big fillip to weather forecasting. Even with the delays to the programme, the meteorological agencies still regard its information as a priority.
Aeolus carries a laser instrument (lidar), called Aladin, that will probe down through the atmosphere to see which way the wind is blowing and how fast.
Today, we have multiple ways of measuring the wind, from whirling anemometers and balloons to satellites that infer wind behaviour by tracking cloud movement or sensing the choppiness of the seas.
But these are somewhat limited indications, telling us what is happening in particular places or at particular heights.
Aeolus, on the other hand, will attempt to build a global, 3D view of the way the wind blows on Earth, from the surface of the planet all the way up through the troposphere into the stratosphere (from 0km to 30km).
The models used to forecast tomorrow’s weather will clearly benefit from this, but so too will the simulations that investigate future climate scenarios.
Circling the globe, the satellite’s ultraviolet beam will pulse the air below it.
The time taken for the light to scatter back off molecules, dust and moisture particles will reveal where the big wind streams are in the atmosphere.
Small shifts in the frequency of the light will betray the speed at which those various markers - and the winds that carry them - are moving.
The concept is well established. Lasers like this are routinely fired into the sky from the ground to retrieve similar data at a single location.
The difficulty for the Aeolus team has been in developing an instrument that will work in space. Esa approved the mission back in 1999 and contracted industry to start building it in 2003. That’s when the trouble started.
The first problem was in finding diodes to generate a laser source with a long enough lifetime to make the mission worthwhile.
With that fixed, the mission looked in great shape until engineers discovered their laser system could not work in a vacuum - a significant barrier for a space mission. Tests revealed that in the absence of air, the laser was degrading its own optics.
“Inside the instrument there are over 100 optical surfaces - lenses and mirrors to prepare the laser beam - and they were becoming contaminated,” explained Aeolus Airbus project manager Richard Wimmer.
“There were two sources of contamination. If there were particles on the optical surfaces, the laser would burn them and blacken the surfaces. But the laser was also dragging particles on to the surfaces that were outgassing from the spacecraft.”
The solution was to introduce a means to flush Aladin with oxygen at a very gentle rate. Its implementation has, of course, elongated the programme and added significant extra cost.
What was supposed to have been a €300m mission is now estimated at €450m.
For many years, I would pass through the Airbus cleanroom in Stevenage and see the spacecraft bus - that part of the satellite which holds its computers, avionics, fuel tanks, and the like - sitting idly in the corner, waiting on experts in Italy (Leonardo) and France (Airbus) to solve the instrument issues.
But on Thursday, the British engineers were finally able to lower a completed Aladin laser instrument - together with the telescope it will use to spy the scattered light signal - on to the rest of the satellite.
The spacecraft must now undergo a series of tests prior to riding its Vega rocket into orbit next year.
Richard Wimmer has stayed with Aeolus throughout its trials and tribulations and was clearly delighted to see the full satellite come together.
“It’s one of those bizarre things where you wait and wait and wait, and then it comes and it seems like just another event.  But it’s a major milestone for sure because now we’re on a more standard assembly, integration and testing sequence.
“We’ve got one very important and complex procedure to do in Liège in Belgium, where as well as putting the satellite in a thermal vacuum chamber we’ll also operate the whole instrument system and measure its performance. Then we’ll be ready.”
For Europe, Aeolus is an important step. The hard lessons learned are being applied to the next Esa laser mission called Earthcare, which will study the role clouds and atmospheric particles play in a changing climate.
But having this technology opens up other possibilities as well, such as making very precise surface height measurements. The Americans, for example, have done this with ice sheets and forest canopies.


Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez became Mexico's leading scorer during a 2-1 defeat by Croatia.

Hernandez headed in his 47th goal with four minutes left in Saturday's friendly in Los Angeles, a warm-up for the Confederations Cup in Russia.
It took the Bayer Leverkusen forward, 28, past Jared Borgetti's record in his 91st international appearance.
"Javier is one of the best finishers in the world," Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio said.
Hernandez, who was the fastest Mexico player to score 40 goals for his country, equalled Borgetti's record in March.
He scored 59 goals in 156 appearances for United after arriving at Old Trafford in 2010, before joining German side Leverkusen in August 2015.


Durham set up a T20 Blast final against Northamptonshire after defending 156 to beat Yorkshire by seven runs in a thrilling second semi-final.

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Mark Wood (4-25) turned the game for Durham with four wickets, including England team-mates Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance in the same over.
Adam Lyth's 64 was in vain as Yorkshire finished on 149-9 with Durham seamer Chris Rushworth also claiming 3-19.
Ben Stokes earlier struck 56 off 36 balls for Durham to help them to 156-6.
Yorkshire looked well placed in the chase at 86-3 after Rushworth had removed Joe Root and David Willey cheaply.
But Wood, who clocked above 90mph regularly, was rewarded for a superb spell when he yorked Bairstow and then had Ballance superbly caught second ball by Paul Collingwood at leg-slip.
Opener Lyth took the target down to 37 required off 22 balls, but cut the impressive Rushworth to Mark Stoneman at point.
His departure left the Vikings' lower order with too much to do, Wood returning to dismiss Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan in the 19th over.
Durham, whose innings was interrupted by rain three times, looked to have posted a below-par total despite some lusty blows from England all-rounder Stokes as Plunkett bowled tightly to finish with 2-22.
But Wood outshone everyone on the pitch to finish with his best Twenty20 figures and send Durham to their first ever final.


Police are investigating the death of a young child at a house in Staffordshire.

The infant was found unconscious at an address in Victoria Street, Basford, at about 20:00 BST on Tuesday.
The child was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital but was pronounced dead a short time later, police said.
The circumstances are being investigated and highly-trained officers are offering support to the family, the spokesman added.


Police are trying to identify a man whose body was found floating in the River Tay in Fife.

Police Scotland confirmed the man was recovered from an area near East Shore Road in Newburgh after an operation involving the coastguard.
The body was found at about 11:25 on Monday.


Australia's Adam Scott ended a two-year PGA Tour title drought by winning the Honda Classic by a shot from Sergio Garcia at Palm Beach Gardens.

World number 13 Scott shot a level-par 70 in blustery conditions at the PGA National to finish nine under.
Garcia was level after 10 holes, but bogeys at the 16th and 17th cost him.
It was 35-year-old Scott's 12th PGA Tour victory and his first using a conventional putter since the 2010 Singapore Open.
Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell shot a final-round 69 to finish fifth on 276, five shots behind Scott.


A Perthshire-based clothing and footwear supplier has been named as the fastest-growing Scottish business for international sales.

GLD Group has been ranked 20th in the latest Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 league table.
It is among nine companies headquartered in Scotland to make it into the UK's top 200.
Together they have grown their international sales by an average of 42% a year over the last two years.
Blairgowrie-based GLD, which appears in the league table for the first time, saw international sales rise by 112% over two years to £12.3m.
The group licenses or owns the rights to design and distribute fashion and sportswear brands, including Umbro.
It also supplies Italian shoe line Superga and French rain jacket brand K-Way.
Moray-based food producer Baxters is ranked 34th in the table, with overseas sales of £197.6m. The company manufactures in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Poland, and sells to more than 30 countries.
Aberdeenshire-based brewer and bar operator BrewDog features for the third time this year, at 193rd.
The firm, which was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, now exports to more than 60 countries, with international sales reaching £13.4m in 2016.
Other Scottish firms ranked in top 200:
Amanda Murphy, UK head of commercial banking at HSBC, said: "This year's Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 is testament to the exciting opportunities available to ambitious Scottish businesses with appetite to grow their goods and services abroad.
"The nine companies in Scotland are putting the country firmly on the map as a thriving business hub."
To qualify for the table, UK firms must have recorded total sales of at least £25m and international sales of at least £1m in the latest financial year.
The full list of 200 UK companies can be seen in this weekend's Sunday Times.


A Lib-Dem MP who accused "the Jews" in Israel of "inflicting atrocities on Palestinians" has received a letter of censure by the party.

Bradford East MP David Ward later apologised and said he had been "trying to make clear that everybody needs to learn the lessons of the Holocaust".
He had made his comments ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day, on Sunday.
The letter was the "equivalent of a yellow card", a party spokesman said.
Mr Ward received the written warning at a meeting with party whips, after the party "condemned" his "use of language, on Friday.
In a blog posting on Saturday he apologised, saying: "I never for a moment intended to criticise or offend the Jewish people as a whole, either as a race or as a people of faith, and apologise sincerely for the unintended offence which my words caused.
A formal complaint about the comments from the Holocaust Educational Trust was sent to the Liberal Democrats.
Last week, Mr Ward said he was "saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza".


Welsh housing associations directly contributed more than £1bn to the economy in 2014/15, an independent report has said.

The Welsh Economy Research report showed 79% of direct spend was retained in Wales, and associations built nearly 2,000 affordable homes.
This was an increase of 4% on the previous year.
The annual report, commissioned by Community Housing Cymru, looked at the impact of social housing in Wales.
£1.1bn
contributed to the economy in 2014/15
£872m of that was retained in Wales
1,923 new homes built in 2014/15
£301m on repairs/maintenance in 2014/15
£532m on regeneration in 2014/15


At least 16 people have drowned in the narrow strait separating Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos, say authorities and the UN.

Two children were among those whose bodies were recovered.
There were two survivors, including a pregnant woman. The survivors, from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo, said there had been between 20 and 25 people on board.
Hundreds of people have died since 2015 trying to cross from Turkey to Greece.
The numbers dropped dramatically from March last year, after Turkey and the EU agreed a deal to stem the flow of people.
But there are fears that numbers attempting the crossing could begin to rise again if the deal is affected by nose-diving relations between the two sides.
The bodies of six women, a child and two men were recovered in Greek territory, while six men and a child were found in Turkish waters, said Greek and Turkish coastguard officials.
The survivors said the boat had capsized on Sunday night.
"The number of people crossing the Aegean to Greece has dropped drastically over the past year, but this tragic incident shows that the dangers and the risk of losing one's life remains very real," said Philippe Leclerc, Greece representative for the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, according to Reuters news agency.
In a separate incident, an Iranian man died amid a high-speed chase involving a van of illegal migrants and Greek police near Greece's north-eastern border with Turkey after the van overturned, reported AFP news agency.
A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.


Geography teachers are claiming problems with courses could damage the subject.

In a submission to MSPs, their association claims that many thought this year's Higher exam was the worst ever.
Meanwhile, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society is warning the popularity of the subject could fall.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said this year's exam was set at the right level.
The SQA is facing questions from MSPs on Holyrood's education committee on Wednesday. The meeting is designed to scrutinise the organisation's budget but questions can come up on any legitimate topic.
A written submission to the committee by the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers highlights concerns some members have about Higher Geography.
Of those who took part in a survey, only 10% classed this year's paper as "fair, OK, or better".
More than half said it was "poor, shocking, terrible, worst ever and nothing like the specimen or previous paper".
Another concern was that there was too much emphasis on human geography -  how man uses the environment - and not enough on physical topics such as how valleys are formed, erosion and rock formations.
BBC Scotland understands the survey was self-selecting so it is impossible to judge just how representative the teachers who took part in it were.
But the Royal Scottish Geographical Society also expressed concerns about geography qualifications and shares the worry that too little emphasis is now placed on physical geography.
Chief executive Mike Robinson said: "We have found that the implementation of national courses has proved overly rigid and where the SQA has sought advice it has not been sought as widely or as timeously as it could have been.
"Teachers have reported consistently that the guidance given is unclear and has therefore been open to a variety of interpretations, leading to inconsistent implementation across Scotland."
The society said a lack of clarity and inconsistency had led to significant pressures on teachers and students alike. It warned of this the risk this could lead to a deterioration in the integrity and popularity of the subject.
The SQA said this year's Higher Geography was set at the appropriate standard - the pass mark and the marks needed for particular grades were within the normal range.
The authority will also be looking at what changes may be made to the exam in 2018-19.
A spokesman said: "We are in regular dialogue with the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers regarding a number of different aspects of the design of Higher Geography. These matters will be considered as we revise the course assessment at Higher level for implementation in the 2018/19 academic year.
"The 2016 Higher Geography exam was set at the appropriate standard and provided a good opportunity for candidates studying at Higher level to demonstrate their skills and understanding of the subject. It was designed according to our published course assessment specifications and was in line with published specimen question papers."
Some personal submissions to the education committee from current and former teachers in a number of subjects demonstrate other challenges for the SQA.
One modern languages teacher said she thought the curriculum for her subjects was "woeful, uninspired and dire to learn and teach".
One recently-retired teacher said: "The SQA has sadly devalued the ethos and quality of the SQA qualifications because of the need to recruit (teaching) staff and markers/verifiers who have insufficient experience to do so. This unfortunate circumstance was brought about by the ever increasing workload placed on the more able/experienced staff."
He added: "Politics would do well to listen occasionally to teaching staff and the unions."
One former principal teacher of chemistry highlighted a number of concerns - some of them historic and pre-dating Curriculum for Excellence.
He wrote: "My over-arching concern about the SQA is that it is accountable to nobody. It refuses to respond to legitimate concerns raised by teachers. It seems more concerned with revenue generation than with serving the needs of candidates."
It is impossible to say how representative these views are but they echo broad concerns expressed by teachers unions about workload, bureaucracy and stress.
The SQA said it placed great importance on the views of all stakeholders.
A spokesman said: "We regularly engage with, and listen to, teachers, lecturers and learners and act upon the feedback they provide, in the pursuit of a high-performing Scottish education system which benefits our young people.
"Earlier this year we conducted an extensive programme of research into the experiences teachers and learners have had with the National Qualifications. As a result, we created individual subject review reports which detail the evidence-based actions we are putting in place for each subject, many of which will alleviate teacher workloads connected to assessment.
"This was part of our ongoing monitoring and evaluation of all our qualifications to ensure they perform as intended and best support the needs of the people and economy of Scotland."
Last year the SQA faced tough questions after the pass mark in the Higher Maths exam fell to just 35%. This problem was not repeated this year but there was concern over the quality of the National 5 computing paper.


The world's biggest conference on species protection has opened in South Africa amid concern and division over the survival of elephants.

The Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) will address proposals impacting more than 500 plants and animals.
But elephants are likely to top the bill with countries bitterly divided over the best way to protect the ponderous pachyderms.
The meeting lasts until 5 October.
Billed as the largest gathering in the 43-year history of the convention, the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP) will see more than 2,500 delegates from more than 180 countries come together in Johannesburg.
While there are proposals affecting lions, sharks, rhinos, pangolins and dozens of other species, the main focus will be on elephants.
There have been growing international concerns about the surge in poaching for ivory that has seen elephant numbers plummet by 30% in the past seven years.
And while Cites Secretariat has argued that there has been a slowdown in the trend, some new figures released at the meeting cast doubt on this view.
The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) is the world's most comprehensive database on the illicit trade in elephant products. It is managed by Traffic, the wildlife monitoring network, on behalf of Cites.
Speaking to BBC News, Dr Richard Thomas from Traffic said that new information presented at this meeting suggested that what appeared to be a downturn in illegal ivory activities in 2014 might have been a false dawn.
"The indications were that the 2014 figure, it looked like there was a drop, now the 2015 data has been put in there for ivory it is certainly at the level it was in 2012/13 and that's very disheartening," he said.
"We don't know what it means in terms of poaching but it's likely to be a fairly simple equation, with high levels of ivory meaning high levels of poaching."
At this meeting there are a number of proposals reflecting very different approaches to the elephant problem.
Namibia and Zimbabwe are seeking to liberalise the restrictions that see them prevented from selling ivory, even though the elephants in their countries are categorised as Appendix II, a lower level of protection that normally allows countries to trade in a species or its parts.
However, a counter proposal from a number of other African countries seeks to raise all African elephants to Appendix I to ensure there is no legal loophole for any ivory trade.
Several conservation groups are backing this tougher stand.
"There is no greater protection for imperilled species from detrimental trade than an Appendix I listing," said Iris Ho from Humane Society International.
"A continued split-listing of the African elephant is akin to a declaration by Cites to open the ivory trade for business.  The conservation legacy of Cites is at stake, and so is the survival of the African elephant."
Many have also taken issue with the Cites Secretariat, who have advised countries meeting here to reject the up-listing of all African elephants to Appendix I, arguing that it might provoke some nations to opt out of Cites altogether and resume an unsupervised trade.
"The secretariat has over-stepped its powers in trying to influence policy before a proposal has even been discussed," said Robert Hepworth, a former chair of the Cites Standing Committee and now an adviser to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
There are other underlying factors that bring an added urgency to the discussions here on elephants.
Back in 2007 similar divisions on the issue of elephants ultimately forced a compromise at Cites, where a one-off sale of ivory was allowed in 2008 and all other proposals for sales were off limits until 2017.
"One of the parts of that deal in 2007 was that there would be a process devised, a mechanism would be established, to sell ivory and that hasn't happened," said Dr Thomas.
"The countries that signed up to it in the belief that they would be able to trade in the future, they don't want to see that part of the deal fall through."
Follow Matt on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc and on Facebook.


Tencent has overtaken its rival Alibaba to become China's most valuable tech firm after strong results.

The operator of the WeChat messaging app is worth $249bn compared with $246bn for Alibaba.
Tencent shares jumped by over 6% to a record high in Hong Kong after reporting strong quarterly earnings on Wednesday.
The internet giant said profit rose by 47% to 10.9bn yuan ($1.6bn; Â£1.2bn) in the three months to June.
Revenues surged due to growth in its online gaming business and advertising.
Out of China's three internet giants, the online gaming and social media company Tencent is now the biggest, but still least known in the West.
Tencent has not attracted the same global attention as its rivals: Alibaba, with charismatic entrepreneur Jack Ma at the helm, and Baidu, the local equivalent of Google.
"Revenues jumped, platforms are booming and it runs the Twitter and Facebook of China," an IG analyst said. "Investors are hoping that, like Facebook, they can turn active users into revenues."


Minutes from the Federal Reserve's September meeting show the majority of policy-makers expect a rise in US interest rates by the end of the year.

At its meeting, the Fed opted to hold rates between 0.25% and 0.5%.
But three officials opposed the decision - the most dissents since December 2014.
The Fed said: "The case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened," but said it would wait for more evidence of economic progress.
Doug Duncan, chief economist for Fannie Mae, said: "There's a pretty big dissent. There seems to be a pretty big discussion about the direction on rates.
"It's clear they want to raise rates in December if things don't deteriorate."
The Fed said US economic activity had picked up and job gains were "solid" in recent months.
The US central bank said it saw near-term risks to the economy as "roughly balanced." It was the first time it has used that wording since late last year, when it most recently raised rates.
The Federal Open Market Committee had decided against raising rates "for the time being," until there was more evidence of progress towards its employment and inflation objectives.
The committee said it expects inflation to remain low in the near term, "in part because of earlier declines in energy prices", but that it would rise to the Fed's 2% target over the medium term.
Policymakers have been divided when the next rate rise should be, with stock market volatility, China's slowing economy, and Brexit among its concerns.
Analysis: Andrew Walker, BBC economics correspondent
The wait continues. Still, there were signs that the committee is closer to being ready for its next rise in interest rates.
For one thing, Janet Yellen said the case for an immediate increase was stronger than it was, though not strong enough for her to be ready just yet.
The number of dissenting members who did vote for an immediate move has increased. This time there were three. In July it was just one.
All that is evidence that the committee thinks the economy is continuing its gradual return to normal.
But we also discovered that the Fed's thinking about what "normal" is has weakened further.
Their view of the economy's long term growth prospects has edged down from 2% to 1.8%.
The level they think interest rates will settle at has also dropped slightly. In other words, growth and rates will fall even further below where they were before the financial crisis.
"Normal" is not what it used to be.
Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said: "We judged that the case for an increase has strengthened but decided for the time being to wait for further evidence of continued progress toward our objectives."
She said the decision to keep rates on hold "does not reflect a lack of confidence in the economy."
"Conditions in the labour market are strengthening and we expect that to continue," she said.
Luke Bartholomew, an investment manager for Aberdeen Asset Management, said: "It was pretty much a done deal that we weren't going to get a rate hike today."
He said the meeting had been about "setting the stage" for a hike in December.
But he added: "A December hike is by no means inevitable though. We've been in the situation before where the Fed has aligned their guns only to baulk at the last minute."


Those who experienced the "hard border" that existed between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland during the Troubles will shudder at the memory of long queues of traffic as ID was checked and vehicles searched.

On a bad day, the security checks could add a good hour to a round trip between Belfast and Dublin.
Some in the Remain camp argued that a vote to exit the European Union would see a return of permanent border checkpoints.
Those in the Leave camp, including Secretary of State Theresa Villiers, insisted that was nonsense.
EU Referendum results
So what now?
The honest answer is that nobody quite knows.
Those who dismiss claims that a "hard border" could return point to what is called the Common Travel Area between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which allows the free movement of people and goods.
There have been such agreements, which pre-dated the European Union (EU), that allowed easier cross-border movement.
However, it is unclear how those arrangements will be affected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
When the United Kingdom formally exits the EU, it is possible the EU will insist on some form of checks on the movement of people for security reasons, and goods, for the purposes of gathering any taxes due on products entering its territory from a non-member state.
However, there would be enormous pressure on the Irish government to resist any EU demands for permanent border checkpoints for domestic political reasons.
When he began talking to Sinn FÃ©in in the hope of influencing republicans to end their campaign of violence, former SDLP leader John Hume argued that the border was irrelevant and did not exist in practical terms.
The sight of armed guards at permanent border checkpoints would make that border highly visible and hugely controversial.
Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Enda Kenny said on Friday that the Irish government will seek to maintain the Common Travel Area. That clearly suggests he does not envisage a "hard border".
It is unclear at this stage what impact Brexit might have on policing arrangements in Northern Ireland.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) can currently share intelligence with other European police forces and access central data bases through Europol, and can participate in joint investigation teams.
It can also use European Arrest Warrants to ask other police forces to arrest suspects on its behalf.
Likewise, other European police forces regularly ask the PSNI to act on their behalf.
The future of all of those arrangements and structures is now unclear.
It is possible they may all have to re-negotiated by the British government with each individual member state in the EU.
The PSNI hopes that will not be necessary and that the EU will recognise the mutual benefits of keeping existing arrangements in place.
But nothing is clear, and the fog of uncertainty is unlikely to be lifted anytime soon.
Get the results in full.


Labour MSP James Kelly has been censured for breaching Holyrood's Code of Conduct when he told the press he had made a formal complaint against Alex Salmond.

Mr Kelly contacted the Commission for Ethical Standards in Public Life claiming Mr Salmond failed to declare earnings from newspaper columns.
He also issued a media release revealing details of the complaint.
The commissioner dismissed the claim as "not relevant" and "inadmissible".
Mr Salmond, the former first minister and SNP leader, then complained to the commissioner that Mr Kelly had breached the Code of Conduct by revealing the action to the media.
Holyrood's Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee has now agreed with the commissioner that Mr Kelly's actions amounted to a breach.
But committee convener Stewart Stevenson said it did "not consider that the breach in question justifies any sanctions being imposed on James Kelly".
Mr Stevenson said: "In reaching the decision on sanctions, the committee was mindful of the fact that James Kelly acknowledged that he had breached the code and stated that it was an inadvertent breach.
"Furthermore, he took personal responsibility for the breach and apologised for it."
Mr Stevenson added: "The committee takes all breaches of the code seriously. The rule covering disclosure is important because it allows investigations by the commissioner and the committee to be concluded in the absence of external partisan comment.
"The committee condemns, in particular, any breaches which risk causing reputational damage to another member in advance of a proper investigation."


Scottish comedy Still Game has made a hugely successful return to TV after almost a decade.

The sitcom attracted its highest ever overnight audience for a single episode on Friday night.
It took a 58% share of the Scottish TV audience with 1.3 million viewers - beating its previous record of 1.2 million.
Airing for the first time on BBC One throughout the UK, it drew a total of audience of 3.2 million.
Still Game follows the antics of pensioners Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade and ran for six series between 2002 and 2007.
The new six-part series was commissioned after the show's writers and stars, Greg Hemphill and Ford Kiernan, rekindled their partnership for a Still Game live show at The Hydro in Glasgow.
The comedy had a 21-night sold-out run 18 months ago.
Friday's TV figures were second only to the Wimbledon men's final, which Andy Murray won, in terms of overnight audience in Scotland this year.
It also became the only non-sport BBC One programme so far this year to achieve a Scottish overnight audience of more than one million.
Ewan Angus, commissioning editor for BBC Scotland and executive producer of Still Game, said: "The return of Still Game has been hugely anticipated since it was announced earlier this year.
"It's without doubt a jewel in BBC Scotland's crown and we are delighted that it continues to sparkle for audiences.
"This is the first time Still Game has aired on BBC One throughout the UK and its heart-warming to see UK audiences getting to know Jack, Victor and the Craiglang gang in such numbers and we hope they continue to enjoy their stories over the next five weeks.
"These figures are testament to the hard work Ford, Greg and the whole team have invested in this new series and we are thrilled for it to be rewarded in this way."
Ford Kiernan added: "It felt like the Bells last night. There was no traffic outside, the pubs were quiet, it was odd but a comforting odd.
"The feedback from the audience has been immense, thanks so much."


Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser has committed his future to the club by signing a new three-year contract.

The Scotland Under-21 international is currently on a season-long loan at Ipswich Town and scored on his Championship debut for the club.
"Hopefully he'll be able to get a consistent run with Ipswich and show everyone just how good he can be," Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said.
Fraser, 21, joined Bournemouth from Aberdeen in January 2013.
He made 21 appearances as Bournemouth won the Championship title last season.


The body of a woman has been recovered from a car which plunged into the River Clyde.

Police confirmed the discovery following a search by emergency services which had been called to reports that one person was trapped in the vehicle.
The incident happened on Lapwing Road, next to the Braehead shopping centre in Renfrew, at about 13:20.
The car was later lifted out of the water by a recovery vehicle.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Inquiries are continuing to establish the exact circumstances of how the vehicle came to enter the River Clyde, with crash scene examiners conducting an investigation at the location."
A post-mortem examination will take place to establish the exact cause of death.
A hole could be seen in a safety fence where the vehicle crashed through and into the river.
The site is close to a large housing block, and a crowd gathered at the police cordon.
Witnesses said the car was seen driving "at speed" and clipping another two cars before breaching the metal fence and entering the water.
One resident who asked not to be named said: "I heard a loud noise and minutes later there were police everywhere then the helicopter arrived.
"I heard that it was a woman driving alone."


An audio message has emerged of Nigerian-based Islamist militant group Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau, in which he denies he has been replaced.

In the message, addressed to the leader of the Islamic State militant group to whom Boko Haram has pledged allegiance, Mr Shekau said he was still in command.
He had not featured in the group's recent videos, prompting speculation he had been killed or incapacitated.
Last week the Chadian president said Mr Shekau had been replaced.
Mr Shekau described as "blatant lies" reports that he was no longer in charge.
"I am alive," he said, adding: "I will only die when the time appointed by Allah comes."
The eight-minute-long recording mocked a recent statement by the new Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that Boko Haram would be eliminated within three months.
Mr Shekau took over as the group's leader after its founder, Muhammad Yusuf, died in Nigerian police custody in July 2009.
Under his leadership Boko Haram has become more radical and has carried out more killings.
In numerous videos, Mr Shekau has taunted the Nigerian authorities, celebrating the group's violent acts including the abduction of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014.
Last month, Mr Buhari said he would be willing to negotiate with the Boko Haram leadership for the release of the Chibok girls - depending on the credibility of those saying they represented the group.
A previous prisoner-swap attempt ended in failure.
Although momentum is gathering for a concerted regional offensive against the group, Boko Haram continues to carry out horrific attacks, not only in Nigeria but in its neighbours too, reports the BBC's Africa editor Mary Harper.
Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau
Will new military base help defeat Boko Haram?
Why Boko Haram remain a threat


Batsman Will Smith will deputise as Hampshire captain in the Championship while James Vince in on England duties.

Vince, 25, earned his first England cap with the start of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley.
Smith, 33, who captained Durham to the County Championship Division One title in 2009, will stand in as skipper for Nottinghamshire's visit on Sunday.
"It makes sense that he picks up the reins," director cricket Giles White told BBC Radio Solent.
White continued: "He has a lot of experience and he's the sort of character who can deal with captaincy really well.
"He's been a consistent performer with us during his time here - I'm sure he'll be in the runs again soon."


A giant pumpkin grown in Hampshire has broken the British record for weight.

The monster squash weighed in at 1,504lb (682kg), about 200lb (90kg) short of the world record, and has a circumference of about 17ft (5.18m).
Twins Ian and Stuart Paton, 49, who already held the British record, grew it at their nursery in Lymington in the New Forest, Hampshire.
The official weighing took place at the Pumpkin festival in Netley, Hampshire, on Saturday.
The twins had thought the vegetable was likely to be bigger than it actually turned out to be and had hoped to break the world record.
The world's largest pumpkin was grown in 2009 by Nick and Christy Harpy from Ohio, USA, and weighed 1,725lb (782kg).
By failing to beat the record, the twins missed out on a Â£10,000 prize, but as a consolation they pocketed Â£1,000 for the British record.
Specialist lifting equipment had to be used to move the pumpkin to the Jubilee Sailing Trust Pumpkin Festival at the Royal Victoria Country Park.
The brothers said their success was due to "50% genetics and 50% love and care".
The pumpkin had grown about 35lb (15.9kg) per day in weight over six weeks, they said.
The plant's foliage covered 600 sq ft (55.741 sq m).
The twins first entered the British record books after they grew a pumpkin weighing a mammoth 1,457lb (660 kg) in 2009.


Warnings about the safety risks which tram tracks in Edinburgh pose to cyclists have been ignored, according to lawyers.

Brenda Mitchell, of Cycle Law Scotland, said safety issues had been highlighted since the tracks were installed.
The issue was highlighted following the death of a 24-year-old cyclist who fell in front of a minibus after appearing to get her wheel stuck in a tram track.
The council said it made "every effort" to raise awareness of the tracks.
The female cyclist died in hospital on Wednesday after the accident on Princes Street.
Police have appealed for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.
Ms Mitchell, who is also a member of the Scottish Parliament's cross party cycling group, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that in her opinion City of Edinburgh Council had "ignored warnings over many years".
She said: "The issue with tram tracks and their safety has been highlighted since the installation of the trams."
She highlighted figures from Prof Chris Oliver, the head of the trauma unit at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
In March, he produced statistics which suggested 191 cyclists were injured in incidents linked to the tram tracks.
Ms Mitchell said the casualties included 64 fractures, of which 29 required surgery.
Prof Oliver said: "It's a whole new range of fractures since the trams started running three years ago.
"We've had a lot of people who have been out riding or commuting to work that have collided with tram tracks.
"They have often been forced into the tram tracks by another vehicle that has pushed them into the direction of the tracks, so they haven't been able to cross them at 90 degrees.
"They have sustained a variety of injuries and some of those have ended up on the operating table. We have now done 29 operations."
Patrick McGuire, a partner at Thompsons Solicitors, represents 141 cyclists hurt after falling on tram tracks.
He said: "Almost two years ago to the day I spoke out about the need for urgent action to be taken by the council to make the tram lines safer for cyclists because if it wasn't we would be facing a fatality.
"No action was taken to make these safety improvements."
He said other UK cities with tram systems did not have the same level of accidents as Edinburgh.
However, a spokeswoman for City of Edinburgh Council said cycle safety was of "utmost importance".
"We have gone to every effort to raise awareness of the impact of the tram on all road users," she said.
"Since before the launch over three years ago we have carried out extensive awareness-raising activity both online and on-street, in partnership with other organisations, much of which has focused specifically on cyclists.
"As part of this, markings were added to the road at Haymarket to direct cyclists along the safest possible routes.
"Like many other European cities Edinburgh now incorporates both cyclists and trams and, as in these cities, cyclists are advised to take care when travelling near the tram tracks."
Wednesday's fatal accident took place on a cycle route.
However, the council added that the official national cycle route in the city centre takes cyclists along George Street and through Charlotte Square.
Jim Hunter, 39, from Edinburgh, who commutes to work by bike said: "As a fellow cyclist I was really upset when I heard of the young woman who was killed on Princes Street on Wednesday so on my way home I picked some wild flowers for her and placed them as a tribute at the spot where she was killed."


Campaigners have lost their latest legal challenge to the first phase of the proposed HS2 high-speed rail line.

Opponents of the link - between Birmingham and London - accused the government of unlawfully failing to carry out a strategic environmental assessment (SEA).
They said such an assessment might help to alleviate problems being caused to local people and businesses.
However, three Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the challenge.
The challenge was brought by HS2 Action Alliance (HS2AA) and Hillingdon Council in west London - which are both campaigning against the project.
They argued that an SEA was required before "safeguarding directions" could be made by the transport secretary to protect land along the route from planning applications for other, conflicting developments.
Some of the land could be included without any proper debate or assessment of environmental impacts or alternative options, they argued.
However, Lord Justice Longmore, Lord Justice Sullivan and Lord Justice Lewison ruled that an SEA was not required before the safeguarding directions could be made.
Following the ruling, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin pleaded for HS2 opponents - who have mounted a series of legal challenges to the scheme - to end their "fruitless" court cases.
"The courts have once again rejected a legal challenge against HS2 as they have done on repeated occasions," he said, adding that the government had now won 20 out of 21 challenges to the project.
"I invite interested groups to work with us to make HS2 the very best it can be, and not waste more public money on costly and fruitless court cases," he said.
The Court of Appeal ruling backed up the decision of a High Court judge made in August this year.


An ex-soldier said he was "hopeful" of being allowed to stay in the UK after getting his job back.

Sam Cataki, 36, who lives in Neyland, Pembrokeshire, lost his job on Wednesday after his application for UK citizenship was refused.
The Fijian father, who served in the Army for 12 years, has been told he can work again while his case is considered by the Home Office.
Mr Cataki said without the community's help he would have lost his job.
A petition set up in support of Mr Cataki has attracted nearly 30,000 signatures.
Stephen Crabb, MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, said he had been reassured by the UK government Mr Cataki's application was being treated "with urgency".
Mr Cataki who has a one-year-old and a five-year-old, lost his job at the Milford Haven Port Authority on Wednesday when his visa application was turned down.
He said while his job had been re-instated, he was still anxious about waiting for the final decision.
Before he left the Army in 2013, Mr Cataki said he applied for citizenship in the UK but believes he was rejected because of three points on his driving licence.
Mr Cataki had been working in Milford Haven for two years and said the situation was also putting his wife Seini's visa status at risk.
"I am really hopeful now the job has been re-instated, but the thing is we still do not know if they are going to reject it," he said.
"Every time we have to find the money again - it has cost just under Â£6,000 for myself and my wife's visas.
"If it wasn't for the media attention and the help of Stephen Crabb I would have just lost my job, that would be it."
Mr Crabb has been assisting Mr Cataki since 2014 and raised his case with Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis.
He said: "This is positive news for Sam, his family and the people of Neyland who have shown strong support for Sam.
"Hopefully the whole matter will be resolved very shortly."


Engineers have been tackling more than 2,000 tonnes of landslip debris in efforts to reopen the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll.

The route was closed on Tuesday after days of heavy rain dislodged rocks and earth. It is hoped it may reopen on Thursday.
A special fence successfully held back more than 1,200 tonnes of debris, including boulders the size of a car.
The Old Military Road diversion route has been used as a detour for traffic.
This adds between 15 and 45 minutes to journey times between Tarbet and Inveraray.
Contractor Bear Scotland said about 1,500 tonnes of debris had so far been removed from the road, roadside and debris fence.
A spokesman said: "This is the largest recorded landslide in the area, the previous worst was in September 2009 when around 1,000 tonnes of material came down the slope."
A specialist 16m reach excavator has been brought to the site to help remove material from the slope which has been retained by the debris fence.
The clearance operation began at first light and was carried out until the hours of darkness on Wednesday and will start again on Thursday morning.
It is hoped the road may be ready to reopen on later on Thursday, using temporary traffic lights as a precautionary measure.


Scott Robertson has agreed a contract with Romanian top-flight club Botosani after leaving Hibernian.

The 30-year-old midfielder will join the club in the north east of the country on 1 July.
Robertson had spent two seasons with Hibs after leaving Blackpool but left after they failed to win promotion from the Scottish Championship.
He played 41 times for the Easter Road club last season and scored six goals under manager Alan Stubbs.
Robertson, who won two Scotland caps, began his career with Dundee and moved to city rivals Dundee United.
He will be part of a squad of predominantly home-grown players under head coach Leontin Grozavu in Romania.
Robertson joins Dutch winger Quenten Martinus and Rashid Browne, defender Michael Ngadeu from Cameroon, Albanian forward Mergin Neziri, right-back Radoslav Dimitrov and goalkeeper and fellow Bulgarian Plamen Iliev among the foreign contingent.
Botosani, who play at the 12,000 capacity Stadionul Municipal, finished eighth in Liga 1 last season.


Robbie Neilson has been given a two-match suspended ban for comments about referee Willie Collum after Hearts' game against Hamilton on 29 August.

The Tynecastle head coach will only serve the suspension if he breaches league rule 72 again before the end of the current season.
Neilson commented after the match that Collum had been wrong to send off Hearts defender Callum Paterson.
And he said the squad had trained with 10 men to prepare for a red card.
The Scottish Football Association's compliance officer issued a notice of complaint for a breach of disciplinary rule 72, stating of Neilson that "in an interview with the BBC you criticised the performance of the Match Officials in such a way as to indicate bias or incompetence on their part".
Hearts' appeal against the notice was rejected when the disciplinary tribunal met on Thursday.
Neilson remarked after the match at New Douglas Park: "We actually practised going down to 10 men because of the environment we're coming to and the officials who are taking the game and we have to do that.
"In the recent past, the statistics involving the officials have shown a lot of red cards against us, so we have to prepare for it.
"The next time we get these officials, we will again train with 10 men."
Patterson's red card was rescinded a few days later.


Former England captain David Beckham is being cast away for the 75th birthday celebrations of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs next weekend.

More than 3,000 guests have been on the show since it was first broadcast on 29 January 1942.
Presenter Kirsty Young said having Beckham choosing his favourite tracks for the anniversary show was "the perfect gift".
Beckham, 41, said music has been a "huge" part of his family's life.
He is married to former Spice Girl singer turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and the couple's youngest son Cruz, 11, released a Christmas-themed single last month.
It is not yet known if he has picked any of his wife's hits with the pop group, or any of her solo endeavours.
What is Desert Island Discs?
Beckham said: "I'm delighted to join Desert Island Discs for its 75th anniversary celebrations.
"Music has been a huge part of my - and my family's - life and it is a real pleasure to highlight that on such an iconic programme."
Young said of her guest: "His sporting legacy is of course extraordinary. And along with his charisma, cultural impact and humanitarian work, he is a modern man of many parts.
"He'll be a fascinating guest to welcome on to my little interview island."
Desert Island Discs' anniversary will be marked with a three-hour programme on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 28 January, presented by Young, featuring some of the guests from past shows.
They include Cilla Black, talking about her early career singing with The Beatles, and Richard Dimbleby, discussing taking a cutlery set from Hitler's bunker after being one of the first correspondents to visit it after the dictator's death.
Extracts from recently rediscovered episodes that are being added to the show's online archive will also feature.
The show featuring Beckham will reintroduce the sound of the sea to the opening and closing of the programme for the first time since the 1960s.
BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4 Extra controller Gwyneth Williams said: "A sure way to uncover an elusive British national identity is to listen to this programme week after week.
"The broad range of guests is a measure of contemporary talent and achievement, and the music opens up different eras and prompts emotional memory in all of us."
Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


A military doctor was "frustrated" by a lack of knowledge of heat illness policy on a fatal SAS selection march.

Captain Surgeon Graeme Nicholson told an inquest that official guidelines he authored "should have been followed".
L/Cpl Craig Roberts, 24, of Conwy county, L/Cpl Edward Maher and Cpl James Dunsby died after attempting a 16-mile march in the Brecon Beacons on one of the hottest days of 2013.
He said assessors should have been aware of environmental conditions.
Dr Nicholson wrote the Army's guidance document on climatic illness and injury.
He told the inquest in Solihull, West Midlands, that this was "the standing guidance" and should have been followed by soldier 1A and 1B, who were in charge that day.
This document was primarily used outside the UK in hot conditions, he said.
Coroner Louise Hunt asked how he felt about many witnesses not having any knowledge of the guidance.
"Frustration is the honest statement," he replied.
Keith Morton QC, representing Cpl Dunsby's father, asked: "It's completely unacceptable isn't it that those on the ground were ignorant to it?"
Dr Nicholson said: "That again I would refer back to their chain of commandâ€¦ I do not feel from a personal point of view that it was appropriate."
The inquest continues.


Losses have increased slightly at the Scottish government-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport over the past year.

The airport, which was bought by Scottish ministers for £1 in November 2013, returned a loss of £4.1m in 2014/15.
This was up from £3.9m the previous year.
Prestwick accepted it had been "another challenging year" but said there were "promising signs in a number of areas".
The annual reports from TS Prestwick Holdco Limited - the company set up up to acquire the airport on behalf of Scottish ministers - warned the loss of some Ryanair flights to Glasgow Airport could be "more severely felt" in the current financial year.
Pre-tax losses for 2014/15 stood at £8.9m - almost double the £4.6m loss before tax the previous year.
The airport's loan from the Scottish government has also increased, rising from £4.5m at the end of March 2014 to £10.8m at 31 March this year.
That could increase further, with ministers having budgeted for a total of up to £25m of loan cash for the airport by the end of 2015/16.
The Scottish government took the airport into public hands after former owner Infratil earmarked it for closure.
While the government hopes to return it to a profit before selling it back to the private sector, ministers have warned that could take time.
The annual report said there had been "positive signs in a number of areas" at Prestwick, including freight business and military activity.
But it added: "The largest driver of revenue is linked to passenger volumes and the associated passenger spend."
While it said load factors had increased, it added the number of flights has "seen an overall decline as total capacity has been reduced".
The report warned: "This will be more severely felt in the next financial year to 31 March 2016 following Ryanair's decision to open a base at Glasgow Airport from October 2014."
Airport chief executive Iain Cochrane said: "Following another challenging year the airport continues to work to turn around the financial performance and there are promising signs in a number of areas, though growing the passenger business remains a challenge whilst air passenger duty exists at its current level.
"The airport is a frontrunner in the process to become the first designated UK spaceport and is continually looking for opportunities to maximise both income and the broad scope and opportunity offered as a strategic national asset.
"The recent appointment of four high-calibre non-executive directors brings considerable new knowledge and experience to help drive the business forward."
A Scottish government spokesman said that by stepping in to save the airport, it had safeguarded 3,200 jobs and secured a vital infrastructure asset that contributes more than £61m annually to the Scottish economy.
He added: "These financial results are as we expected. As we made clear at the start of the acquisition process, this is a long-term investment. There is no quick fix to turn Glasgow Prestwick Airport around but there are real opportunities to improve in all areas of the business.
"Our investment is on a commercial basis and takes the form of loan funding. This attracts a market rate of interest in line with state aid rules. The recent Audit Scotland report confirmed that we are highly likely to generate a return on this investment."
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Alex Johnstone said the latest figures were a "massive blow for Scotland's transport, business, infrastructure and tourism industries.
He added: "As one of Scotland's busiest airports, Prestwick should be thriving not operating at a loss.
"When it was announced that the airport was to be publicly owned, we issued an warning at the time, stating that it would take an enormous effort to get the airport back in to profit.
"The Scottish government needed to have the courage to do what was necessary, rather than simply pouring money into something without accruing any benefit."


Cardiff Blues prop Brad Thyer spent four nights in hospital after suffering "delayed" concussion following their 7 January Pro12 loss at Glasgow.

The 23-year-old went in on Sunday, 8 January and came out four days later.
Blues said the loose-head "will be closely monitored by hospital doctors and the Cardiff Blues medical team".
Danny Wilson's side are also without loose-head Gethin Jenkins, but Rhys Gill is hoping to be fit to face Bristol on Saturday.
Wilson hopes Wales utility back Gareth Anscombe - who is not in Rob Howley's squad for the 2017 Six Nations - and number eight Nick Williams will be fit for the European Challenge Cup encounter.
In their statement about Thyer, Blues said: "Following advice from the region's medical team, Thyer attended hospital where comprehensive investigations took place.
"He was released from University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff last Thursday (12 Jan) and continues his progress from home.
"There has been regular contact with family and Thyer will be closely monitored by hospital doctors and the Cardiff Blues medical team. Further information will be released in due course."


The prime minister has been urged by 50 politicians to give the green light to a new runway at Heathrow.

The group from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland called on Theresa May to approve a third runway at the airport, describing it as "our gateway to the world".
The government could make a decision as early as this week.
Mrs May is believed not to favour a compromise option that would see both Heathrow and Gatwick build new runways.
The group urging the prime minister to approve Heathrow expansion includes Welsh Conservative MP and former  cabinet minister Stephen Crabb, Northern Irish DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds and Welsh Labour's Stephen Kinnock.
All three signed the letter to Mrs May which argued: "Although Heathrow is in London, it is the UK's hub airport.
"Other countries are investing in and supporting their hub, or looking on enviously as they hub through other countries.
"Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all have our own successful and growing airports.
"But Heathrow is our gateway to the world, bringing tourists to our attractions and helping our exporters reach new markets.
"Whether we are connected by road, rail or air, we know that connections to Heathrow are a key driver of investment decisions.
"Expanding Heathrow will create nearly four times more jobs in our three nations than other options being considered."
Mrs May faces considerable opposition to a third runway at Heathrow within her own cabinet as well as the Conservative Party and former Prime Minister David Cameron repeatedly put off making a decision.
Tory MP Adam Afriyie said he would vote against Heathrow expansion in defiance of party whips if there was no free vote in the House of Commons.
The Windsor MP told the BBC's Sunday Politics show: "Oh, 100% yes. I'm going to fight tooth and nail."
Conservative MP MP Zac Goldsmith has already warned Mrs May she faces losing Conservative MPs and councils if she backs Heathrow expansion.
The former London mayoral candidate has promised to quit as an MP if Mrs May give her backing to a third runway at the airport.
Fellow Tory MP Kwasi Kwarteng said reports that there are 60 opponents within the party are "way off the mark", telling the programme there are about "20 hardcore people" .
A cabinet sub-committee is due to meet, possibly as early as this week, to examine the arguments for the three options set out in last year's Airports Commission report.
The commission recommended in July 2015 that a third runway should be built at Heathrow.
Other options are extending the airport's existing northern runway or building a second runway at Gatwick


A man has died and three others were injured in a crash involving a car and a lorry on the A34 in Hampshire.

The collision, involving a Vauxhall Zafira, happened on the northbound carriageway, near Tufton, at about 17:45 GMT on Saturday.
Police said the lorry driver, a 48-year-old man from Poland, had been arrested on suspicion of of causing death by dangerous driving.
A 53-year-old man, from Swindon and a Zafira passenger, died at the scene.
The car driver, a 40-year-old man and two rear seat passengers, a 13-year-old girl and 38-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.
The northbound carriageway was closed until the early hours for police to carry out an investigation.
Police have appealed for witnesses who saw either vehicle before the crash to come forward.


A man has appeared in court over an acid attack that left two people with "life-changing" injuries.

Two men, aged 23 and 24, had a noxious substance thrown over them at 19:00 BST on Tuesday on Roman Road, Bethnal Green, east London.
Rahad Hussain, 23, has been charged with wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon, namely acid.
He was remanded in custody when he appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court.
Mr Hussain, of no fixed address,  gave no indication of a plea.
He is due to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 29 August.


The possibility of Taqele Naiyaravoro heading back to Australia after only a season with Glasgow Warriors has been played down by coach Gregor Townsend.

The wing, 24, has made a big impression for the Pro12 side since arriving from Waratahs after the World Cup.
And a Sunday newspaper report suggested that his former club would be keen for him to return at the end of the season.
"He's contracted to us," said Townsend. "There's always speculation, but we're delighted with him being with us."
Reports in the Australian media had suggested prior to the World Cup that Naiyaravoro might not join Warriors as planned.
His agent, Tyran Smith, said the player would arrive in Scotland to "honour his commitments" but added "at least for the first year".
Having failed to win a place in Australia's World Cup squad, Naiyaravoro won his first cap as a late substitute against the United States in September.
It ended the possibility of the Fijian player representing his homeland or winning a Scotland cap through residency rules at the end of his three-year Warriors contract.
That led to further speculation about his club future and it has heightened after he ran in three tries in last week's 43-6 destruction of Scarlets in the European Champions Cup.
"He's settled in really well and playing excellent rugby, so we're delighted with him being with us," Townsend told BBC Scotland following the 9-6 win in Saturday's return game in Llanelli.
"He's improving with every game and he got double figures in ball carries last night."


The US is sending an aircraft carrier to boost its patrols in the waters off Yemen, amid suspicions that an Iranian naval convoy in the area is carrying arms intended for Yemeni Houthi rebels.

The US has warned Iran against arming the rebels - but a US spokesman said the ships would not stop the convoy.
The US navy, which already has seven vessels in the area, says its aim is to secure shipping lanes.
Yemen is gripped by conflict between the rebels and government supporters.
A rebel advance drove out the president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, last month. His supporters, backed by a Saudi-led air campaign, have been battling the rebels in and around the southern port city of Aden.
The US is not taking part in the air strikes, but it has backed the Saudi-led coalition by boosting arms deliveries and intelligence sharing.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier, and a guided-missile carrier, the USS Normandy, are travelling from the Gulf to join other vessels in the Arabian Sea off Yemen, US officials said.
The other US boats in the area include two destroyers, two mine-sweepers and three amphibious ships, Reuters news agency reports.
A US spokesman denied the ships would intercept the Iranian convoy, which is believed to be approaching Yemen.
However, a US official, interviewed by AFP news agency, expressed concern that the convoy may be carrying weapons for the Houthis, while admitting that it was too early to speculate.
"We believe these vessels may have arms and equipment on board. If they are delivered to Yemen, it will further destabilise" the country, the official was quoted as saying.
Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia has accused its regional rival, Shia Iran, of aiding the Houthis, who are from the Zaidi Shia sect. Iran denies arming them.
A UN resolution last week imposed an arms embargo on the rebels and their allies.
The UN says 150,000 people have been displaced by the latest fighting in Yemen, and some 12 million are short of food.
It has also said 731 people had been killed and 2,754 injured - many of them civilians - in three weeks between March and April.
The numbers are likely to be an underestimate, it has warned.


"Major concerns" have been voiced after a fire service hired a £1,250-a-day consultant to review its "culture".

Essex Fire Authority decided in a private meeting to hire a consultant to lead a review of claims of bullying and "intimidatory culture" at the service.
Minutes from the meeting show while nobody disputed the appointment there were "reservations" about "costs".
The fire authority said the cost of the review reflected the value placed on fire service staff.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it was concerned at both the cost - which it claims could be up to £500,000 in total - and handling of the matter.
The review - initially referred to as an investigation late last year - was commissioned in response to a confidential report about a number of incidents which "threatened the excellent, professional reputation" of the service.
Speaking to the BBC, Alan Chinn-Shaw, secretary of the Essex branch of the FBU, accused the authority of spending "a vast amount of money" at a time when the "budget for front-line fire fighting is being decimated".
"We have got major concerns at the amount of money being spent," he said.
However, he also said the union would "engage" with the review because it was in everybody's interests that relations within the service were improved.
"We believe if there are benefits to be had from this review then it could be worthwhile in the long run," he added.
Essex Fire Authority did not respond to the FBU's suggestion the review might cost £500,000.
Anthony Hedley, authority chairman, said the review "was established with the best intentions".
He said its purpose was "to look at how the culture of the fire and rescue service in Essex is having a detrimental impact on staff at all levels and how we might seek to change that.
"All representative bodies sit on the board so they have the chance to shape the way the review is conducted and feed their thoughts directly to it.
"There is a significant cost involved in bringing in an outside expert to conduct this process.
"But this is an indication of the level at which the Fire Authority values all service staff and demonstrates a commitment to doing all we can to create the best possible working environment for them all."


Great Britain's double Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington has retired.

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Adlington became Britain's first female to win Olympic gold in the pool in 48 years, with 400m and 800m freestyle victories at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The 23-year-old, who won the 800m world title in 2011 and two Commonwealth Games gold medals in 2010, picked up two bronze medals at London 2012.
"I love swimming but as a competitive element and elite athlete I won't compete any more," she said.
The Mansfield-born swimmer, who also won 400m world championship silver (2011) and bronze (2009) to add to a European gold (2010), says she wants to leave the sport at the top.
"I have achieved everything I wanted to," she said.
"Some people want to milk it all they can. I've always said I wanted to finish on a high, despite my love of the sport."
British Olympic Association (BOA) chairman Lord Coe paid tribute to the achievements of the former Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion.
"Becky Adlington's unforgettable success in Beijing inspired a generation to get in the pool and swim," he said.
"Her down-to-earth personality and remarkable career achievements have made her a national treasure."
BOA chief Executive Andy Hunt added: "Through her remarkable talent and tireless work ethic, Becky Adlington has set a standard of excellence that future generations of Team GB athletes will aspire to reach.
"She represents the very best of what British sport, and the Olympic movement, are all about."
Adlington said in September that she would not compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016, feeling that as a 27-year-old she would be too old to be competitive.
In October, she undertook a 280-mile bike ride in Zambia with Olympic bronze medallist Jo Jackson, former Commonwealth champion Ross Davenport and ex-swimmer Mel Marshall to raise £50,000 for Sport in Action, a non-governmental organisation that looks to inspire change in impoverished communities through sport.
She says that her work outside the pool has taken on a greater significance, and that she no longer has the same motivation to compete at elite level.
"I had to look at things, take a break and see how I felt when I came back. It didn't feel the same getting back into training and it felt like time," she said.
"I hate the words 'retired' so I don't want to say it because I would never retire from swimming all together, but as an elite athlete I wont be competing any more and I won't be at the World Championships this year."
In retirement, Adlington will head up the "Rebecca Adlington Swim Stars" programme to encourage youngsters to take up swimming.
"I want to launch my own learn to swim programme and I've always said that if I've inspired one kid to get in the pool then it would make my year and hopefully I can continue to do that," she said.
"As unpretentious as beans on toast, but with a cordon bleu talent, the retiring Becky Adlington has been a huge asset to British Swimming in her short career. Her expressed desire now is to carry on working in the sport, with the goal of getting every child in Britain into a pool and able to swim 25m by the time they leave primary education. Ambitious, but she has the clout and charisma to help make it happen."
"I want to create a deeper legacy. I want all children when they leave school to be able to swim 25m - that's my ambition in life."
According to research from the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) released last May, a third of children - 200,000 youngsters - in England cannot swim
The research suggested many had never had a school swimming lesson, despite its being part of the national curriculum for seven-to-11-year-olds to be taught to swim 25m unaided.
In December, Adlington criticised British Swimming's review into the team's under-performance at the London Games, telling the Times (subscription) she felt "insulted, disheartened and saddened by the way they have ignored us, the swimmers."
She believes that the appointment of her former coach Bill Furniss as the new head coach at British Swimming will improve the relationship between athletes and the governing body, and hopes to work with Furniss mentoring future elite swimmers.
"He knows enough about the sport and has been on so many teams that he's seen it all first-hand, so if there was anyone suitable for the role it is him," she said.
"Hopefully I'll still have a relationship with him where I can pass on my perspective as a swimmer.
"I'd love to stay involved in all sorts of ways. Hopefully I can help the younger guys coming up because I have been through it all."


One club's 83-year-old goalscoring record tumbled on Saturday, on a day when Newcastle returned to the top of the Championship table.

Magpies fans will have enjoyed victory over former boss Steve McClaren and his Derby side at St James' Park - but that win does not make it into our round-up of the English Football League.
Instead, the end of a poor managerial start, handshakes for travelling supporters and a record league attendance are among five stories from the Championship, League One and League Two which may have passed you by.
A long wait ended for Gianfranco Zola on Saturday, as he registered his first win since becoming Birmingham boss in what was his 11th game in charge.
The timing of the club's decision to sack Gary Rowett and replace him with the former Chelsea forward on 14 December came as a surprise, as City had beaten Ipswich the day before and were outside of the Championship play-off zone on goal difference.
Blues director Panos Pavlakis said Zola's pedigree fitted with Birmingham's ambition to "move in a new direction".
However, the former Italy international found life tough at St Andrew's, slipping away from the top six after taking just three points from a possible 24 in the league and exiting the FA Cup following a third-round replay at Newcastle.
But a relieved Zola finally picked up that elusive win when Lukas Jutkiewicz's goal was enough to see off 10-man Fulham.
"The players played with everything, a lot of awareness tactically and technically, but a lot of passion above all," Zola told BBC WM 95.6. "I'm so proud and delighted with them, I'm very pleased."
Milton Keynes Dons came up with a novel way to celebrate the Buckinghamshire town's 50th anniversary when they welcomed Bolton to Stadium MK.
The League One side decided to give local residents the 'Gift of Football', offering free entry to people with an Milton Keynes postcode and allowing season-ticket holders a ticket for a friend.
The Dons also wore a commemorative gold kit and were rewarded with their highest league attendance since they opened their ground 10 years ago, as 21,545 watched a 1-1 draw with Wanderers.
MK's record attendance remains the 28,127 that saw them lose to Chelsea in the FA Cup in January 2016.
Both those figures are well shy of the stadium record, set in October 2015 when 30,048 flocked to see Fiji beat Uruguay in the Rugby World Cup.
But perhaps Robbie Neilson's side, who stretched their unbeaten run to five games, have captured the imagination of some of those who took advantage of the club's special offer.
Oldham defender Anthony Gerrard suffered one of the more bizarre sending-offs of the season during their 1-0 win at Chesterfield.
The former Everton trainee picked up a booking in the first half and got his marching orders from referee Ross Joyce during the half-time break for an incident in the tunnel.
Playing with 10 men after the break, the Latics stole the points when skipper Peter Clarke nodded in at the far post in the first minute of injury time.
"I'm very proud of them, the way they went about the game," Oldham boss John Sheridan told BBC Radio Manchester. "I'm chuffed to bits."
With three wins in five matches since Sheridan returned for a third permanent spell in charge on 12 January, Oldham are now one point from safety in League One.
No wonder some fans at Boundary Park are talking about a 'Shezzarection'.
Yeovil Town fans have to endure some tiring journeys, but this weekend's 670-mile round-trip to Hartlepool is one of the longer expeditions Glovers fans will face this season.
Supporters of the Somerset club at least saw their side pick up a point thanks to Matty Dolan's second-half penalty.
And the 97 hardy souls who made the trip to County Durham were rewarded by players and staff after the final whistle, with handshakes for each and every one of them.
"It's an incredible trip from one end of the country to the other," Dolan told BBC Somerset.
"The fans will have been up at 6am this morning just to make it here so fair play to them. It's nice that we can reward them with the performance we did."
Exeter winger David Wheeler made his own piece of history during their 4-0 win over Crewe Alexandra.
His second-half header meant the 26-year-old became the first Grecians player to score in seven consecutive league matches, surpassing the six-game streaks of Henry Poulter (1933-34) and Roderick Williams (1936-37).
Wheeler added a second for his eighth goal since starting his run against Newport on 31 December to help Paul Tisdale's side to a seventh straight win, matching the club's best run set across two seasons in 1977.
Now 12 games unbeaten in League Two, the Grecians are one result shy of their all-time unbeaten league run of 13 matches set in 1986-87.
Big Devon rivals and fellow promotion contenders Plymouth stand in the way of more history for Wheeler and Exeter next weekend.


Within weeks of her career highlight at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Scottish judoka Sally Conway faced a decision that would dictate her future in the sport.

She returned to her base in Edinburgh with an Olympic bronze medal in her baggage, but knew that to continue at the top level she would have to relocate and join the rest of Team GB's judo stars at the main training centre in Walsall.
As with the rest of Team GB's judoka, failure to relocate would result in a funding cut which would effectively end Conway's aspirations to compete on the international stage.
"We knew exactly what it was," the 30-year-old said. "We knew that if we didn't go to Walsall, we wouldn't get our funding, we wouldn't get our trips, we wouldn't be supported by British Judo - every tournament we would have to self fund.
"It kind of was an ultimatum, but it was my choice as well.
"I'd been in Edinburgh for 12 years, so Edinburgh is my home. I'm part of Judo Scotland and I have a lot of friends up here, my coaches are up here, so it was a very very hard decision to move down to Walsall, but I felt like I had to give it a go.
"It was like I didn't want to come to the end of my judo career and never know."
It was a tough decision for Conway, but she is enjoying the benefits of training alongside the rest of Team GB's elite judoka.
The move should give Conway the best possible opportunity to add to that -70kg Olympic bronze and the Commonwealth Games bronze she won in Glasgow in 2014.
And taking to the mat in a more relaxed state of mind should also help.
"When I come back competing now, I feel like a massive relief like the pressure has been lifted from my shoulders because I've achieved what I've wanted to achieve," Conway added.
"Obviously I would like to go on to Tokyo [2020 Olympics] and win the gold but it's a relief that I've got a major championship medal now because up until the Olympics I hadn't got a European or a World medal or an Olympic medal.
"There was a pressure there, but now I have that medal it's kind of me going out there and enjoying what I do, and it seems the last couple of competitions it's worked for me."
Taking that pressure-free mentality into the next Olympic Games could be significant for Conway.
She is hoping to be there in 2020, and with the Games being held in Japan, the Scot says bowing out in the birthplace of judo is a hugely appealing prospect.
"To have my last Olympics Games in Tokyo would be amazing, it would be unbelievable," Conway said. "My dad says he always wanted to save his pennies for 2020 so even if I'm not competing we're going to watch anyway.
"I'm just trying to take it year by year and focus on the here and now. Two years before the Olympics, if I feel fit and I'm still performing, and still getting results, then I'll be going for 2020."
First up, however, are the World Championships in August.
"This year it's all about getting back into competition again [following a lay-off] and a result at the World Championships would be fantastic," Conway added. "I believe I can achieve a medal there.
"Next year I'll be competing more and I'd like to get European medals and world medals over the next two years. It'll be important to be getting good results in the two years out from the Games to qualify.
"Another Olympic medal would be amazing, but to win gold in Tokyo and have it as my last Olympics - that would be a dream."


They have one of the most famous family names in British horse racing, but it has been almost 60 years since a Scudamore won the Grand National.

Michael Scudamore triumphed in 1959 on Oxo, but his son and eight-time champion jockey Peter never won the big one at Aintree, his best finish a third aboard Corbiere in 1985.
Now Welsh trainer Michael Scudamore, following in the footsteps of his famous family - including his namesake and grandfather - says it would mean everything if his brother Tom could take the crown this weekend.
Tom will be in the saddle on one of the favourites, Vieux Lion Rouge, and after finishing seventh last year, his brother hopes to win the big one this time around over the world's most famous course.
One might assume that for a family closing in on 2,000 racing victories, success in the National would be nothing more than a bonus.
But Michael, who took over his grandfather's training yard in 2008 after gaining his licence following a season as an amateur jockey, says it would mean the world if Tom triumphs.
"Careers are built on having success in this race. There's obviously a lot of pressure involved especially going into the big race." Scudamore told BBC Wales Sport.
"It's been a very long time since any member of our family managed to win it. It would be lovely if he could do that at the weekend."
Scudamore's grandfather Michael Scudamore rode 16 consecutive Grand Nationals, winning in 1959.
Peter Scudamore, Michael's father was also an eight-time champion jockey who rode to a record 1,678 wins.
Scudamore says his grandfather was a big inspiration.
"It was always his favourite race and that passed down through the rest of the family," he explained.
"He rode in 16 consecutive Nationals which for a long time, until Mr McCoy [Sir Anthony McCoy] or Richard Johnson came along, I think they were the first to break that record.
"It's the race you really want to win above all others and hopefully one day one of our family can emulate what  my grandfather did and pass that post first."
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While the rest of the Scudamore family were arguably born into the sport of racing, things could have been very different for Michael.
He is a former Wales Under-19 rugby international who featured in the 2003 Five Nations tournament and an age-grade World Cup, playing in the same squad as Wales, Bristol and British and Irish Lions lock Ian Evans.
He was also a regular for Ebbw Vale as part of the Newport Gwent Dragons set-up and Scudamore very nearly picked a lifetime of scrums and rucks over fences and saddles.
Scudamore draws comparisons between his life on the rugby pitch and training the country's best horses.
"There aren't any many hours spent running around or in the gym, but you're treating the horse as an athlete and trying to get the best out of them in a similar way that you were trying to get the best out of yourself," he said.
"Everything is geared towards trying to make them the very best they can be. In many ways it's a very similar discipline.
"I started off trying to play a bit of rugby, but I've always been around horses from a young age so racing's there and always something I'd wanted to do at some stage.
"I was always too heavy to ride so training was the next logical step.
"I was never the biggest [as a rugby player] so seeing the size of the players nowadays I'm happy I chose what I chose.
"I definitely have no regrets!"


International donors have pledged $15.2bn (â‚¬13.5bn ; Â£11.9bn) in aid to help Afghanistan until 2020.

Over 70 countries attended the talks in Brussels, hosted by the EU.
Closing the meeting, European Commissioner for International Development Neven Mimica called the sum "a remarkable, impressive amount".
"Now is not the time to reduce our ambition or our investment in the people of Afghanistan,"  he added.
The amount pledged is only slightly less than the $4bn a year that the international community promised at the last Afghanistan conference in Tokyo in 2012.
Ahead of the meeting, the overseas countries were expected to pledge around $3bn in aid a year.
'We are helpless: Trapped by the Taliban in Kunduz
Afghanistan will be asked to do more to tackle corruption and to take back tens of thousands of failed asylum seekers.
The country faces a resurgent Taliban and remains reliant on foreign help, 15 years after the militants were ousted.
"We're buying four more years for Afghanistan," said EU special representative Franz-Michael Mellbin.
Who are the Taliban?
Last journey: The migrant who lost everything
US wasted millions on Afghan reconstruction, says watchdog
Battleground Kunduz: The city the Taliban seized
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told the conference that Afghanistan was making progress on the economy, corruption and human rights but needed constructive international support to see the changes through.
"Afghans can make peace, we will make peace, we are committed to constructive politics, not destructive politics," he said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry urged the Taliban to make an "honourable" peace with Kabul.
He said the militant group should follow the example of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the notorious Afghan warlord designated a "global terrorist" by the US, who signed a peace deal with the Afghan government in September.
"This is a model for what might be possible," Mr Kerry added.
The EU is promising Afghanistan $1.5bn annually and has signed a deal for Kabul to take back Afghans who fail in their bid for asylum. Both sides deny the deal is a condition for new aid.
Afghans make up the second largest group of asylum seekers in Europe, after Syrians.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Brussels says recent Taliban advances on the battlefield will only harden the determination of many Afghans to seek a better life elsewhere.
"We are with you for the long run" was the world's promise to Afghanistan in 2001. Aid still hasn't stopped.
That's partly because the same worries are still there. President Ghani has a vision for Afghanistan major donors can believe in.
But they - and Afghans - still need convincing it can be achieved by him in the Afghanistan of today.
For all the advances since 2001, there's rampant corruption, political infighting, and a battle against the Taliban taking a huge number of Afghan lives.
The unexpectedly high pledges seem to underline a recognition of the price Afghans, their neighbours, and the world beyond would pay if the Taliban gained ground, and Afghanistan sank into greater poverty and despair.
A record number of Afghans are already fleeing to Europe. This money is also meant to help create conditions to convince Afghans to stay, including the tens of thousands who will now be sent back under another deal struck in Brussels this week.
Taliban attacks this week on the cities of Kunduz in the north and Lashkar Gah in the south have underlined how fragile the security and development gains of recent years remain, despite all the money spent.
The United States and other international donors have pumped about $130bn into the country since 2002.
Efforts to rebuild after years of war began after US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power following the 9/11 attacks.
The figure is comparable to the Marshall Plan, a US initiative to rebuild a devastated Europe after World War Two, although the results have been much more limited.
Most of the money spent in Afghanistan has come from the US (about $115bn) - and official figures show that more than half of that was spent on security.
Nato pulled out combat forces in 2014 and the Taliban are now resurgent in many areas, prompting fears that hard-won, costly gains are at risk.
Fifteen years after the Taliban were toppled, Afghanistan still cannot survive without significant international support.
Despite all the money that's been poured in, it remains one of the poorest countries on earth, with 80% of its budget financed by aid.
The optimism of the early post-Taliban years - when new schools and hospitals were being built and Afghan refugees were returning - has been replaced in some quarters by donor fatigue and more and more questions about where the money will end up.
Major contributors are now indicating they expect to see greater Afghan success in tackling problems such as corruption and the lucrative narcotics trade, as well as progress on asylum seekers.
A more prosperous Afghanistan could mean fewer refugees in Europe - but hopes the country could become self-reliant one day seem many years away.
It is so serious that one of the main cities in the north, Kunduz, nearly fell to the militants again this week, a year after they briefly captured it in what was a major security embarrassment.
Afghan forces battled the Taliban for a third day in Kunduz on Wednesday, amid reports that food is running short and scores have fled the city.
Meanwhile in Kabul, a suicide bomber targeted a minibus carrying government officials, wounding four people, a day after a US soldier was killed by a bomb in the east.
In the southern province of Helmand, the Taliban have captured the administrative headquarters of Khan Nishin district, and are massed outside the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah.
Government troops were reported to be resisting their advance there, and in parts of the central province of Uruzgan, where fighting has also broken out.


It is "impossible" to tell if the use of a pepper spray caused a man to fatally swallow a bag of drugs he had in his mouth, an inquest has heard.

Yet Dr Jason Payne-James said pava spray causes a burning sensation that can make someone cough or inhale.
The forensic examiner gave evidence at the Milford Haven inquest into the death of drug addict Darran Hunt.
Mr Hunt began choking and lost consciousness after being arrested in Llanelli in February 2015.
The inquest jury heard Mr Hunt was an unemployed drug addict who was known to police.
CCTV footage showed Dyfed-Powys Police officers trying to arrest Mr Hunt in Llanelli's Sunken Gardens when he put the packet in his mouth.
The inquest heard police used the spray in order to help bring him "under control".
When they realised he was choking, they tried using back slaps and the Heimlich manoeuvre but despite paramedics removing the bag, he died at the scene.
The bag was later found to have been 8cm (3.1in) long and contained a combination of drugs including cannabis and the heroin replacement drug subutex.
Dr Payne-James said it was "impossible" to tell if the use of pepper spray by officers caused him to swallow it.
The hearing continues.


London Underground's Piccadilly line drivers are to vote on industrial action in a row over safety.

The ballot could lead to the closure of the line, the Tube's fourth busiest, which serves Heathrow Airport.
Managers have been accused of the "wholesale abuse of procedures and agreements" and ignoring safety concerns about weak brakes.
But London Underground operations director Pat Hansberry said he was disappointed by the decision.
"We urge the union leadership and members to work with us constructively on the issues they have raised," he said.
The ballot, organised by the National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), will close on 20 October.


Mulayam Singh Yadav has bounced back with his Samajwadi Party winning the assembly elections in the politically-crucial Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

A former wrestler, the election results prove that he can still pin his opponents down.
His drive - combined with the skill to bounce back from seemingly hopeless political setbacks - has made him a formidable political adversary in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state with more than 200 million people.
In his long political career he has been the state's chief minister three times and also served as India's defence minister.
He is now set to become chief minister for the fourth time since 1989.
Although Mr Yadav, 72, has not been in good health for the last few years and has been grooming his eldest son Akhilesh as his heir, nothing seems to deter this dogged political campaigner from returning to the electoral podium in a career that has been characterised by extreme highs and lows.
Trained as a teacher in his home village in central Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yadav took the plunge into politics at the age of 15. He was influenced by the writing of well-known socialist Ram Manohar Lohia and took part in various socialist movements led by this ideologue.
In his early career, Mr Yadav championed the cause of the lower castes and minorities. They still provide him with bedrock support.
He has been able to exploit a growing perception among many voters in Uttar Pradesh - regardless of which party he represented - that the Congress party was the home only of high caste Brahmins or the elite.
Mr Yadav emerged as the youngest member of the state assembly when he contested elections in 1967 for a socialist party. He was elected in 1974 and again in 1977, when he romped home, still as a fervent socialist, but representing a different party.
Typical of the mercurial nature of Mr Yadav's career were the elections of 1980. For the first time he lost amid a surge of support for Congress.
But he still managed to be inducted in the upper house of the state legislature where he promptly rose to become leader of the opposition.
A few years later he took the unusual step of getting elected to the lower house of the state legislature as well - thereby achieving the distinction of being the only leader to have held the position of leader of the opposition in both houses.
His first stint as chief minister in Uttar Pradesh - from 1989 to 1991 - was shortlived but not uneventful. It culminated with his party formally separating from Congress, whose support it depended upon.
What cost him dear in the vote was his decision to order security forces at the Ayodhya mosque to fire upon mostly Hindu protesters who had seized it from a group of Muslims. The protesters argued that the mosque had been built on top of a Hindu temple.
His actions during the Ayodhya stand-off were condemned by Hindus and Muslims alike. The former accused him of being excessively heavy-handed while the latter said he did not do enough to stop Hindu mobs going on the rampage.
It was only when the mosque was pulled down in December 1992 that Mr Yadav emerged as a hero among Muslims, who then credited him for saving the shrine in 1990.
In the elections of 1994, following a prolonged period of presidential rule in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Yadav found himself back in power - this time with the support of a new ally, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
But it was a relationship that did not last long. In June 1995 BSP leader Mayawati pulled the rug from under his feet and upstaged him to become chief minister herself with the support of the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The two leaders have alternated in power for much of the time between then and now.
Mr Yadav's humiliation at the hands of Mayawati was hard for him to swallow, but his time in the political wilderness was short-lived.
In the summer of 1996, he won his first break in central politics when he was appointed defence minister of India in a United Front coalition led by HD Dewe Gowda.
Ambitious as ever, at one point Mr Yadav even tried to become prime minister, but he always lacked a strong support base despite being at the centre of ceaseless political intrigue.
Evidence of this was clearly seen when he took the decision to oppose Sonia Gandhi's candidature for prime minister after the fall of the 13-day Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 1996.
Mr Yadav described her as a "videshi" (foreigner) - a mistake that came back to haunt him when Mrs Gandhi and Congress refused to support him when he needed it - while trying to form a government in Uttar Pradesh as the single largest party following elections in February 2002.
Their refusal meant his arch-rival Mayawati was able to seize the moment instead.
As on previous occasions he did not allow this setback to linger - he won back the position of chief minister for the third time in 2003 and held it until state assembly elections of May 2007 when he again lost to Mayawati.
For this year's elections, Mr Yadav again cultivated political alliances - this time with a breakaway leader of the BJP.
The move was dangerous because it could have damaged his Muslim vote bank - the BJP is loathed by many Muslims in Uttar Pradesh for its role in the Ayodhya dispute.
It is another interesting phase in the career of this most unpredictable politician who, at different stages of his career, has been politically in bed - and at loggerheads - with a wide spectrum of Indian parties.