Boys could be allowed to wear skirts at a north London private school if a plan for gender neutral uniforms comes in.

Highgate School is considering mix-and-match outfits for pupils after head teachers said that growing numbers of children were questioning their gender.
The school, which charges up to Â£6,790 a term, has also been encouraged to allow unisex toilets and open all sports to all pupils.
Girls at the school can wear grey trousers, dark blue jackets and ties.
But boys are not currently allowed to wear grey pleated skirts, although they would be under the new proposed dress code.
"We are asking them, should it be called uniform number one and uniform number two?," said head Adam Pettitt.
He said the issue of a gender neutral uniform had come up during question and answer sessions with his A-Level students.
This generation of young people was really questioning the binary way people look at things, he said.
"We're therefore exploring how our uniform policy could evolve to cater for those who do want to match clothing to gender, as well as those who don't."
He added: "In common with all other schools and youth organisations, yes, we are seeing greater numbers of pupils questioning gender identity than in the past.
"Having said that, in years gone by, absolutely no young people were raising it at all and it seems inconceivable that these sorts of questions simply didn't exist.
"The fact that there is significantly greater support and information available, both in schools and elsewhere, means that young people need no longer feel afraid to ask questions or speak out about their feelings.
"If they feel happier and more secure in who they are, it must be a good thing," he said.
Mr Pettitt said parents would be consulted before changes were introduced, but acknowledged that some former pupils had written to complain the school was "promoting the wrong ideas".
Co-educational independent boarding school Brighton College, where Mr Pettitt is a governor, has introduced a similarly gender neutral uniform.
Student equality groups have called for teachers to observe gender neutral speech codes and for a ban on phrases such as "man up".
And figures show a sharp rise in the number of young people seeking help to change gender.
Highgate School is holding a conference next month called The Developing Teenager which will examine how teachers should approach issues raised by transgender and gender neutral students.
In 2011, 12-year-old boy Chris Whitehead wore a skirt to school because he was angered by rules at Impington Village College, near Cambridge, that did not allow boys to wear shorts in hot weather.
The Year 8 pupil said he researched the policy, found a loophole in the rules and turned up to school in a skirt.
The school pledged to review the policy.
And last summer a group of teenage boys wore skirts to Longhill High School in Rottingdean, East Sussex after being disciplined for wearing shorts on a very hot summer's day.


The family of an Irishman, imprisoned in Egypt for more than three years without trial, have urged the government to do more to help free him.

Ibrahim Halawa, 20, the son of Ireland's most senior Muslim cleric, was arrested during anti-government protests in Cairo in August 2013.
He is due in court on Saturday along with 463 others, charged with inciting violence, rioting and sabotage.
They all face a possible death penalty, if convicted.
Three months ago, Egypt rejected a called from the Irish government for the immediate release of Mr Halawa, whose family live in Dublin, under presidential decree.
The Egyptian government has also rejected allegations by the United Nations about his treatment in prison.
Mr Halawa's trial has been postponed 15 times and his legal team fear another adjournment.
Amnesty International held a vigil at Stormont on Tuesday to show support for a campaign calling for his immediate release.
Those who took part included MLAs from Sinn FÃ©in, the SDLP, Alliance and People Before Profit.
Mr Halawa's sister, Khadija, was there along with her husband and two young children.
She called on the Irish government to do more to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to release her brother.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has said the case is a "key priority" and he met his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo in June to underline the government's concerns.
But the family and their supporters say the Irish government could do more.
"We are very concerned about him, about his treatment in prison, and what might happen to him" said Khadija Halawa.
"The Irish government has tried to do something, but it needs to be doing more and it can do more. It should be more pro-active, and should be taking immediate steps and not just wait for the presidential decree.
"There should be more communication with the Egyptian government to try to have something done."
Amnesty International has declared Mr Halawa a prisoner of conscience.
Patrick Corrigan, Northern Ireland programme director for the human rights group, has supported the family's call.
"This young Irish citizen has spent more than three years living in horrific conditions, without access to proper medical care, and without any prospect of a fair trial," he said.
"Amnesty International remains gravely concerned for his physical and mental wellbeing and we reiterate our call for his immediate and unconditional release."
Mr Halawa was 17 when he was arrested along with three of his sisters after Egyptian security forces ended a siege at the Al-Fath mosque in Cairo in August 2013.
They said they were on holiday at the time and sought refuge in the mosque to escape the violence outside. His sisters were later released on bail.
The family has denied claims that Mr Halawa is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organisation.
The Egyptian government has declared it a terrorist group, a claim the organisation rejects.
More than 1,000 people have been killed and 40,000 are believed to have been jailed since President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi led the military's overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected head of state, in 2013.


Tributes have been paid to BBC radio presenter Colin Bloomfield, who died aged 33 following a battle with cancer.

Books of condolence have been placed in BBC Derby's reception and at the ground of the local football team, on which he commentated for several years.
Thousands of messages have been posted on social media or sent to the BBC.
Friend and former Olympic swimmer Ross Davenport said: "Colin was someone you could open up to and trust wholeheartedly."
Bloomfield worked at BBC Radio Derby for more than 10 years as a news reporter, Derby County commentator and breakfast show presenter.
He was diagnosed with stage four melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in 2013.
Mr Davenport added: "We were always told not to get too close to journalists but Colin meant it was nice to talk to someone and he became a friend and came to our wedding.  It is such a shame this day has come."
Derby County chief executive Sam Rush, signing the book of condolence at the iPro stadium, said: "He was the first man who painted the pictures when I was down in London before I came to Derby.
"My earliest pictures were created by Colin Bloomfield and those goals and experiences were those which excited us before we came up here."
While there were spontaneous chants in tribute to Mr Bloomfield at Derby's match away at Millwall on Saturday, Mr Rush said there would be a minutes applause for him at next Saturday's game.
Listeners have been sending in messages, many on social media, in response to the news and various tributes.
@TaraJones_29 tweeted: "Listening with a box of tissues, loving hearing his voices again", while @Amgkirtley also tweeted: "Truly lovely person and a great broadcaster".
The Skcin charity, which raises awareness of skin cancer, has passed a £75,000 target part of the Colin Bloomfield Melanoma Appeal and said it would continue to fundraise.
Sally Pepper, a fellow BBC Radio Derby presenter who ran the London Marathon on Sunday, has raised more than £20,000 for the appeal.


Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud became the first player to score a hat-trick for France in 17 years as his side thrashed Paraguay in Rennes.

Giroud was on the scoresheet alongside Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko and Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann.
The previous France player to score three in a single match was David Trezeguet in 2000 against a Fifa XI.
France face Sweden in a World Cup qualifier next Friday, followed by a friendly at home to England on 13 June.
Giroud's first goal in the friendly was a volley from Ousmane Dembele's pass, his second a header with Dimitri Payet providing the assist, before completing his hat-trick on 69 minutes after a clever assist from Barcelona's full-back Lucas Digne.
Manager Didier Deschamps said: "Giroud is our best scorer, he continues to get goals and when he is not scoring himself he helps others around him score."
Match ends, France 5, Paraguay 0.
Second Half ends, France 5, Paraguay 0.
Foul by Djibril Sidibe (France).
Juan Aguilar (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lucas Digne (France).
Richard Franco (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Alexandre Lacazette (France) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Florian Thauvin.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Juan Aguilar (Paraguay) because of an injury.
Foul by N'Golo Kanté (France).
Iván Ramírez (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, France. Florian Thauvin replaces Antoine Griezmann.
Foul by Lucas Digne (France).
Richard Franco (Paraguay) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Attempt missed. Sergio Díaz (Paraguay) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Cristhian Paredes.
Goal!  France 5, Paraguay 0. Antoine Griezmann (France) left footed shot from very close range to the high centre of the goal.
Substitution, Paraguay. Richard Franco replaces Óscar Romero.
Goal!  France 4, Paraguay 0. Moussa Sissoko (France) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Alexandre Lacazette.
Substitution, France. Alexandre Lacazette replaces Olivier Giroud.
Goal!  France 3, Paraguay 0. Olivier Giroud (France) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Lucas Digne with a cross.
Foul by Djibril Sidibe (France).
Jorge Benítez (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, France. Lucas Digne replaces Benjamin Mendy.
Corner,  France. Conceded by Junior Alonso.
Offside, Paraguay. Junior Alonso tries a through ball, but Iván Ramírez is caught offside.
Substitution, Paraguay. Cristhian Paredes replaces Víctor Ayala.
Attempt missed. Antoine Griezmann (France) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Thomas Lemar with a through ball.
Foul by Djibril Sidibe (France).
Miguel Samudio (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Blaise Matuidi (France).
Víctor Ayala (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by N'Golo Kanté (France).
Sergio Díaz (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Benjamin Mendy (France) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bruno Valdez (Paraguay).
Substitution, Paraguay. Jorge Benítez replaces Federico Santander.
Attempt missed. Víctor Ayala (Paraguay) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high from a direct free kick.
Foul by Djibril Sidibe (France).
Óscar Romero (Paraguay) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Samuel Umtiti (France).


A project to identify and tackle sources of pollution on the River Ely could set a precedent for restoring other water courses across Wales, it has been claimed.

A "massive survey" of the river found hundreds of fly-tipping hotspots and previously unknown sewage pipes.
The Restore our Rivers campaign will now set about tackling the problems.
Water quality in parts of the river had been classified as "poor" and "bad" by Natural Resources Wales.
The Ely flows for about 24 miles (39km) from south of Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taff, and then through the city suburbs of Pentrebane and Caerau into Cardiff Bay, passing landmarks like the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans and Cardiff City Stadium.
An inquiry into pollution on the river was initially carried out by Cardiff council's environmental scrutiny committee after complaints from anglers that the upper reaches of the Ely were devoid of fish and wildlife.
Several organisations including Natural Resources Wales, Dwr Cymru, Keep Wales Tidy, South East Wales Rivers Trust, Cardiff Rivers Group, Glamorgan Anglers and Groundwork Wales came on board.
The intensive survey carried out along the Ely and its tributaries was the first of its kind on a Welsh river.
Councillor Paul Mitchell, chairman of the environmental scrutiny committee, said it had highlighted the "devastating impact" litter and other forms of pollution was having.
"We found hundreds of major tipping incidents and very large objects in the river, people travelling across three or four fields just to throw a trolley in the river," he explained.
"We also found sewage outfalls that Dwr Cymru Welsh Water were not aware of because they inherited an antiquated Victorian system.
"And further up in the catchment we saw the effects of unscrupulous builders who deliberately misconnect showers and granny flats directly into the storm drains so they don't have to pay connection fees to Dwr Cymru.
"It all adds up to kill a river off and it's about time we did something to sort it out."
A number of projects, involving school and the community, will now be carried out to target the issues raised in the survey.
Keep Wales Tidy, which lead the work of compiling the survey, is now preparing an online resource, mapping pollution points along the river.
Pam Bacon, from the charity, said the partnership approach between different organisations, the council and community "had to be the way forward".
"It's a way of getting that pride and awareness back about the value of our rivers but also show what the different organisations are doing to tackle their own issues," she said.
Imogen Brown, head of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water waste water networks, said the survey had provided "fantastic information".
"We have 7,000km of rivers in Wales and we can't understand everything that's going on in all of them - so this survey will really help us understand if we've got misconnections going into there or problematic assets."
The restoration work was launched on Tuesday with a litter pick along the banks of the river at Grangemoor Park in Grangetown - 40 bags were collected - and this will continue throughout the spring.


Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini said he had no regrets after his side's Champions League semi-final defeat by Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Gareth Bale's cross deflected off Fernando to give Real a 1-0 aggregate victory and set up an all-Madrid final with Atletico in Milan on 28 May.
Pellegrini's side had just one shot on target in the Spanish capital.
Asked if he regretted his team's approach to the game, the Chilean said: "No. I think we worked very well."
Pellegrini felt his side did not deserve to lose and said the hosts were "very lucky" with the deflection that gave them their goal.
He added: "Real Madrid could not create chances, but after that work you have to create and have players who can do work in the final third but we couldn't."
Real dominated for much of the game and had 15 shots on goal, five of which were on target.
City rarely troubled the hosts, going closest when Fernando hit the outside of the post, while Sergio Aguero's late long-range shot landed on the roof of the net.
City captain Vincent Kompany was substituted with a suspected groin injury in the 10th minute.
The Belgium defender, 29, has started just 14 games in the Premier League this season.
Pellegrini said: "It is not the best way to start a game.
"However, I don't think we had a problem defending with or without Vincent.
"We recovered the ball well, we tried to press high and did it but you have to make the difference with the ball."
Pellegrini added he expects to know more about Kompany's injury on Thursday.
This was the first time City had reached the last four of the Champions League but they must now switch their focus to trying to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
City are fourth, four points ahead of Manchester United, who have three games remaining to their rivals' two.
"It has been a special season because we reached the semi-final," said Pellegrini, who will be replaced by Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola this summer.
"It was a very close game but we must finish now in the domestic game to try and qualify for the Champions League again."
City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who made a number of excellent saves in both legs of the semi-final, believes the club will learn from the experience.
He said: "There's not a lot we can take from this game but in the Champions League this season we have grown and shown some good moments and we have to take that into next year.
"It's not a proud moment losing a semi-final when we like to think we could have done a lot better. But we didn't and we are out."


French-Moroccan photographer Leila Alaoui has died from injuries sustained in the Burkina Faso hotel attack, taking the death toll to 30.

Ms Alaoui was taken to hospital but suffered a heart attack, human rights group Amnesty International said.
She was carrying out work "focusing on women's rights" for the group.
The assault at a hotel in the capital, Ouagadougou, was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
In a statement. Amnesty said Ms Alaoui had been shot twice in the attack, in the leg and thorax, and was believed to have been in a stable condition following an operation in hospital.
Mahamadi Ouedraogo, a driver working for Amnesty, was also killed in Friday's attack.
Both were parked outside the Cappucino cafe, opposite the luxury Splendid Hotel, one of the militants' targets, the group said.
Many of the victims of the assault were foreigners. Among those known to have died are:
At least three attackers died in the assaults, officials say.
It was AQIM's first attack in Burkina Faso. The group is based in the Sahara Desert between Mali, Niger and Algeria.


Uncertainty remains over the destination of Wales' summer fixture against Tonga, says Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Martyn Phillips.

Wales are due to play two matches in the Pacific Islands, against Tonga and Samoa in June.
"There are still some things to iron out with Tonga, mainly that there isn't a pitch at the moment," he said.
"The stadium infrastructure is not in place so we are meeting with World Rugby again," Phillips added.
The game against the Samoans is scheduled for 24 June in the country's capital city Apia with relatively few qualms about that fixture.
But WRU representatives were in Tonga in December to look at the facilities with no completed pitch in place and continued concerns about medical cover.
World Rugby stated in October: "A new venue is due to be constructed there and we need to assess whether it will be completed in time for a fixture to take place as planned."
An alternative could be to play the game in Auckland, New Zealand.
"The facilities around it [the stadium] are nowhere near what you would need to host a game, although clearly Tonga are committing to get to that," Phillips said.
"It's not particularly good for anybody at this stage. The reason it's gone on is that we all desperately want to go there and play but the pitch is fundamental to that.
"The forecast is for it to be there by May, but you are getting close to the point at which it may not be.
"Our effort at the moment is to try and make it happen, but you've got to get to a point where you say is it or isn't going to happen?
"That needs to be pretty soon now.
"The contingency would be to play in Auckland. We have got an informal agreement with New Zealand, which we did last summer when we were over there, but we'd need to kick that into plan quite quickly."
Media playback is not supported on this device
Meanwhile, the return of the Wales A team is set to be delayed due to the lack of opposition for the second-string national side.
It was announced in August 2014 the outfit would return by January, 2015 thanks to a six-year agreement between the WRU and the four Welsh rugby regions.
Phillips said: "We wanted to play England and Ireland ideally, but for various reasons we haven't been able to pull that off.
"The window in which we can play is the last week of January right now.
"The worst case scenario is we play one of those two next year, at the end of January 2018.
"England and Ireland have both said they are up for the game. We have just got to land on contracting one of them.
"If we can get another fixture we will and we are talking to some other people about that."
Former Wales head coach Mike Ruddock took charge of the Wales A team the last time they played, a 30-23 win over Scotland in 2002.


Top seed Roger Federer secured the 1,000th victory of his career as he beat Milos Raonic to win the Brisbane International title.

Swiss Federer, 33, beat the Canadian, 24, 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 on Pat Rafter Arena to clinch his 83rd career title.
The world number two becomes the third man, after Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, to secure 1,000 ATP wins.
"I've played a lot of tennis over the years so to get to 1,000 wins means a lot to me," said Federer.
"It's a special moment, no doubt about that. I will never forget this match."
The 17-time Grand Slam champion, who lost to Lleyton Hewitt in last year's Brisbane final, is the first player since Lendl in 1992 to reach the milestone.
He has now won at least one tournament every year since 2001, an unbroken run spanning 15 seasons.
Federer now heads to Melbourne to begin preparations for the Australian Open, which begins on 19 January and is a Grand Slam he has won four times.
The Swiss has been in fine form in Brisbane, brushing aside Australian qualifier James Duckworth in 39 minutes and then beating Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in 53 minutes to reach the final.
Federer began strongly in final, breaking Raonic's serve in the third game before going on to take the set 6-4.
He broke in the opening game of the second set, but Raonic broke back for 2-2 and then dominated the tie-break, winning seven successive points to seal the set and level the match.
Federer was under pressure early in the third but Raonic failed to capitalise and the Swiss recovered to break in the 10th game and secure victory in two hours and 13 minutes.
Raonic said: "We all know today is a significant milestone for Roger. When we came out and they listed all the things you've won, I thought you must have been playing for 2,000 wins."


Australia will consider all proposals to stop shark attacks after the death of a teenage girl, the government says.

Laeticia Brouwer, 17, was fatally attacked by a shark on Monday while surfing in Western Australia (WA).
It was the third deadly attack in the state within 12 months.
Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said he would consider new proposals including culling, but any action would rely upon the state government.
"In light of the recent shark attack the Commonwealth would welcome any proposal to put human life first," said Mr Frydenberg.
"This could include the newest drum line technology, shark exclusion nets, culling or other measures which WA sees fit."
However, the state government has said it prefers the use of personal devices, known as shark shields, to culling or drum lines.
Any state government proposal would ultimately require federal approval.
WA's fisheries department said it believed Ms Brouwer was attacked by a great white shark after examining photos of her damaged surfboard.
In 2014, the state trialled a shark cull on seven beaches using drum lines, but it proved controversial and was halted by an environmental regulator. More than 170 sharks were caught but none of them was a great white.
New shark nets have recently been installed at some beaches in the state.
'Passion' for ocean
Ms Brouwer's uncle Steve Evans said relatives were "terribly heartbroken" by her death in the town of Esperance.
"We take comfort in the fact that Laeticia died doing something that she loved," he said.
"The ocean was her and her family's passion. Surfing was something that she treasured doing with her dad and her sisters.
"Laeticia will be greatly missed by her family, friends and everyone who knew her."
The beach will remain closed until further notice.


England is being overtaken by other leading nations because progress on literacy has stalled, according to chief schools inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw.

Reading standards had not improved since 2005, he said, and one in five 11-year-olds did not make the grade.
In a speech, he called for primary school targets to be raised, saying: "Our standards should be higher."
Teaching unions say big improvements have been made in the past two decades.
They have accused Ofsted and the government of "playing fast and loose with international data".
Sir Michael, who took over the chief inspector's role in January, told BBC Newsnight that standards in literacy and reading went up between 1995 and 2005.
But he added: "Since then, standards have stalled and other nations have been doing better than us."
Sir Michael said one in five children - about 100,000 - were not reaching the standard expected (level 4) at the end of primary school every year.
And even those who did make that grade had no guarantee of going on to get a good GCSE pass in English, he said.
In a speech in London, he said international comparisons of literacy showed "a worrying picture", and that some countries had improved faster than England - namely Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway.
The latestProgramme for International Student Assessment survey, in 2009, showed the UK had slipped to joint 23rd place in a global assessment of literacy, he said.
Sir Michael said the secret to boosting children's reading and writing abilities - and their overall academic performance - lay in getting things right when they were young.
"Our main concern is that too many pupils fall behind in their literacy early on. In most cases, if they can't read securely at seven they struggle to catch up as they progress through their school career," he said.
"Without reading and writing skills they find it difficult to access the curriculum and achieve well in their examinations.
"As a result, too many young adults lack the functional skills to make their way in the modern world. They are more likely to be unemployed, unwell, in prison, or supported by the state."
Sir Michael has set out a plan to raise national standards in literacy in England.
Addressing leading head teachers and literacy experts, he questioned whether the present target for 11-year-olds was challenging enough to help prepare them for secondary school.
He also said parents should be told their child's reading age as well as how they were doing against national targets.
By Angela HarrisonEducation correspondent, BBC News
Sir Michael took up the role of chief inspector in January and changes have been coming thick and fast, including "no notice inspections" and schools being told they won't be judged outstanding unless teaching is top class.
The former academy head says he wants a "no excuses" culture; that although improvements have been made, England has "tolerated mediocrity" for too long and radical changes are needed. It's a view he shares with Education Secretary Michael Gove, who appointed him.
Literacy is seen as the cornerstone of a good education and the one in five who do not make the grade at 11 do not normally do well academically at 16, so few would argue with the need to help them do better. Raising the bar for all children at that age - which Sir Michael is now suggesting - will be more hotly debated.
With more schools becoming academies with greater freedoms, the government sees a stronger Ofsted as a way of making sure schools stay on track, but some say too much prescription will hold back improvements.
Ofsted, he said, would focus "more sharply" on literacy in its inspections, and on phonics training for new teachers.
The government believes a stronger emphasis on phonics will improve literacy levels.
This is a method of teaching children to read by teaching them the sounds of letters and groups of letters.
Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said "the critical importance of pupils' educational achievement" was "beyond dispute".
But she said the proportion of children achieving the expected level at age 11 and at GCSE level had risen since the mid-1990s.
"Ofsted is right to monitor provision in this vital subject," she said.
"However, it is essential that it does so on an evidence basis, rather than picking and choosing information that seems to support a predetermined view."
Mary Bousted, from the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said national tests were narrowing the curriculum.
"It may well be one of the major causes why children at primary school who've had an overemphasis on test items can't access the secondary curriculum."


President Donald Trump has promised a "major investigation into voter fraud", after making claims about millions of illegal ballots.

The new president said the inquiry would include "those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal".
Mr Trump also said the probe would focus on "those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)".
He has alleged that up to five million illegal votes were cast for Hillary Clinton, but has offered no proof.
Mrs Clinton, the Democratic candidate, received nearly three million votes more than Mr Trump, who won the presidency by prevailing in so-called swing states.
"Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!" Mr Trump said of his planned inquiry.
Mr Trump is later expected to sign immigration-related decrees, including on his plan to build a wall along the US border with Mexico.
The president first made the claim about voter fraud in a late November tweet.
Fact-checkers have rejected it as untrue and Republican election officials in key states have said they found no proof of fraudulent voting.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on Tuesday that Mr Trump continues to believe it, "based on studies and evidence that people have presented to him".
Mr Spicer was repeatedly pressed to specify such research, but failed to do so.
Non-citizens of the United States, including permanent legal residents, do not have the right to vote in presidential elections.
Voter registration requires applicants to declare their citizenship status, and they could face criminal punishment if they falsely claim citizenship rights.
In addition to being registered voters, in two-thirds of states, voters are required to bring identification to the polls in order to be allowed to vote.
In all states, first-time voters who register to vote by post must provide valid identification before voting.
Although it is not impossible for non-citizens to break voting laws, there is no evidence that millions of immigrants without the right to vote influenced the outcome of the popular vote.
Read more from Reality Check on Mr Trump's claim.
On Tuesday, the National Association of Secretaries of State said it had confidence in the "systemic integrity of our election process" and was not aware of any evidence related to Mr Trump's claims.
Some fellow Republicans also admonished Mr Trump and urged him to drop the matter a day after the closed doors meeting with congressional leaders.
Senator Lindsey Graham called the comments "inappropriate", adding that Mr Trump should "knock this off".
He continued that the president "seems to be obsessed with the idea that he could not have possibly lost the popular vote without cheating and fraud".
Republican Pennsylvania Representative Charlie Dent also weighed in, saying Mr Trump needed to move on and "get to the serious business of governing".
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said it was "nonsensical" and he feared Mr Trump was paving the way for Republican governors to "go forward with voter suppression".


Kilmarnock goalkeeper Craig Samson has agreed an early release from his Rugby Park contract.

The 31-year-old, who began his career at Killie, returned to the Ayrshire club in 2013 and made 38 appearances last season.
Samson had another year to run on his deal but had lost his starting place to summer signing Jamie MacDonald.
Capped at Under-21 level, he has been involved in the Scotland squad before but never selected to play.


Two men have been re-arrested over the murder of a Cambridge man who was assaulted twice in the same night.

Jeff Henry, 39, died of head injuries after being chased and attacked on Campkin Road, in the King's Hedges area of the city, on 7 June.
A 34-year-old man, from Huntingdon, and a 36-year-old man, from St Ives, were re-arrested on suspicion of murder having previously been on police bail.
The pair are being questioned at Thorpe Wood police station.
Ben Maguire, 28, of Minerva Way, Cambridge, was charged with murder last month and is due to appear in court on 4 September.
Mr Henry was spotted running away from men along Campkin Road just moments before being attacked, once at 00:20 and again at 00:45 BST.
He died a week later in hospital.


A council leader has apologised for "losing her temper" and swearing in a BBC programme investigating paying consultants to advise on cuts.

Ceredigion council leader Ellen ap Gwynn told BBC Two's Who's Spending Britain's Billions? presenter Jacques Peretti and his crew "please get out of my room, the bloody lot of you".
PricewaterhouseCoopers was paid £2m to help make "£12m to £14m" in savings.
"I am apologising," she told a council meeting on Thursday.
Ms ap Gwynn responded to calls from fellow councillors to apologise after the leader of four years was accused of bringing Ceredigion council into disrepute.
Council chairman Dai Mason rejected suggestions to discuss Ms ap Gwynn's conduct in the full council meeting out of "fairness to those who haven't seen the programme" and because it was not on the agenda.
Ceredig Davies, leader of the opposition, said: "I will be asking the monitoring officer under our code of conduct to hold the leader of the council to account for bringing this council into disrepute."
Paul Hinge added: "This is disgusting. You are stopping democracy. This is stopping open and transparent council."
Ms Gwynn said she "had to respond" and outlined the council's challenge of saving £34m over four years following budget cuts which has meant the council losing "50% of our senior staff."
The leader reminded her council the decision to bring external consultants was agreed "by everyone in the chamber" and PwC won an open tender.
Ms Gwynn said she refused to answer BBC reporter Jacques Peretti's questions "on legal advice."
"I would challenge anyone of you not to lose your temper if you were pressed on the same point three times," she said.
"I do acknowledge that I lost my temper and I shouldn't have done so because I don't think I have ever done such a thing.
"But everybody has their failings. I am apologising to you and myself as I let myself down."
The BBC Two documentary investigated the activities of management consultants hired by Ceredigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Torfaen councils.
The investigation by Who's Spending Britain's Billions?, which emphasised the reluctance of local authorities to disclose fees paid due to "commercial confidentiality", claimed three Welsh councils paid PwC a total of £5m plus a percentage of the savings, which the programme claims is 16%.
A Welsh Local Government Association statement said: "WLGA supports the use of consultants where they add value and where there is a clear demonstrable business case to do so.
"Many councils are having to manage extraordinary levels of change and require specialist external support to help them deliver more for less.
"It would not be cost effective for the public sector (or any other organisation) to permanently retain such specialist capabilities."


Andy Murray believes he and brother Jamie can take Great Britain to the verge of Davis Cup victory in Saturday's doubles against Belgium.

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The pair will aim to put Britain 2-1 up in the best-of-five tie when the doubles gets under way at 14:00 GMT in Ghent.
"I believe in myself," said Murray. "I believe in me and Jamie as a doubles team, as well."
Britain are trying to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936.
"I believe we can win the tie, obviously, otherwise there would be no point in us being there," added Murray. "But it's going to be tough, for sure."
Steve Darcis and Kimmer Coppejans were named for the doubles in the initial Belgian line-up, but the latter is likely to be replaced by David Goffin or Ruben Bemelmans.
In the opening day's singles, Goffin came back to beat Kyle Edmund in five sets, and Murray then won a feisty encounter with Ruben Bemelmans in straight sets.
With the tie now certain to go into a third and final day, both Murray and GB captain Leon Smith played down suggestions that everything hinges on the doubles result.
The Murray brothers scored crucial points as a doubles team against France in the quarter-final and Australia in the semi-final.
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"I don't think it's as important as in some of the ties," said Murray.
"It's an important match, obviously. Every point is. But I don't think for either team, if you lose it, that the tie is over because I think both teams are capable of winning all of the points here."
Asked whether he would draft in James Ward to replace Edmund, beaten on day one, in a potential fifth singles rubber on Sunday, Smith added: "We won't do anything until Saturday night.
"We'll see how everyone is, see how the doubles has gone."
Andy Murray has won his last five Davis Cup doubles matches, three of them alongside his brother, and has racked up a total of nine points for Britain this year.
Jamie, meanwhile, has enjoyed the best year of his career by reaching two Grand Slam finals and the ATP World Tour Finals, leaving the Britons as strong favourites on Saturday.
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But after being tested by Bemelmans in front of 13,000 energised spectators, nothing is being taken for granted.
"Goffin's a top-quality player when he plays well," said Andy Murray.
"He's ranked 15, 16 in the world, plays well on the clay. I'm aware that will be a very tough match to win. In the doubles, Davis Cup is always tough, never easy, just because of the way doubles is played."
The home side have changed their doubles team for all three previous ties this year, winning twice, with Bemelmans appearing each time.
However, captain Johan Van Herck could opt to bring in Goffin, who at world number 16 in singles is the highest-class player available.
"All the other options" were possible, said Van Herck after Friday's singles matches.
And he rejected any notion that Belgian hopes would ultimately depend on Goffin pulling off a shock win over Murray in the reverse singles.
"This Davis Cup final is not only about Murray against Goffin on Sunday," Van Herck added.
"There's a big match on Saturday. There's another big match, a fifth match, [on Sunday] if necessary."


Police are investigating a gun attack at a house in Dungiven, County Londonderry.

One shot was fired through a front window of the property in Ard Na Smoll.
It happened at about 18:20 GMT on Saturday.
Police said they did not believe anyone was in the house at the time and have appealed for information.


The Obamas have lamented patchy wi-fi coverage in the White House during a TV interview.

There are a "lot of dead spots", President Obama revealed during a pre-Super Bowl interview on CBS.
"It can be a little sketchy," added Michelle. The couple's daughters, Sasha and Malia, were "just irritated by it", she said.
Mr Obama traditionally does an interview ahead of the biggest American Football game of the year.
The president added he had been trying to improve the wi-fi "for the next group of folks".
Mr Obama was accompanied on his pre-Super Bowl TV appearance by his wife for the first time.
The couple also described their Super Bowl routine, saying they invite friends over to watch the match and eat food including pizza and nachos.
"We let 'Let's Move' off the table," Mrs Obama said, referring to her campaign against childhood obesity.


Pensions Minister Ros Altmann says there is a "delicate balancing act" to maintain the strength of pension schemes amid the uncertainty of Brexit.

Some companies are under pressure to keep the deficits of their final salary pension schemes under control.
But Baroness Altmann said companies should not be forced to spend too much plugging these deficits at a time when the economy needed boosting.
Hints about further stimulus for the UK economy were made earlier in the week.
Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, signalled potential cuts to interest rates or further quantitative easing, or, in effect, money printing.
Both of these could affect the health of company pension schemes.
Chancellor George Osborne has also signalled that it is necessary to abandon a plan to achieve a budget surplus by 2020.
Ms Altmann told BBC Radio 4's Money Box: "It is important when the government, in making its plans for the future, recognises that employers really are having, in some cases, a very difficult time, supporting the pension promises they have made.
"What we don't want to do is offset some of the stimulus that we want to give to the economy by forcing companies to put too much money into their pensions in the near-term if they can't afford it."
She stressed that there was a protection scheme in place - the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) - should a company go bust or its pension scheme fail.
One pension scheme that may end up in the PPF is the British Steel Pension Scheme. A £485m pension deficit has been deterring potential buyers of Tata Steel's UK business.
A consultation on the pension scheme's future has been carried out, considering various options.
One option is to base the scheme's annual increase on the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation measure, which is usually below the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure currently used. Others include separating the scheme from the employer or transferring savers and pensioners to a new scheme altogether.
But Ms Altmann said there were dangers in giving the scheme preferential treatment.
"What I am determined to do is to make sure that we don't undermine the system of pension protection that we have," she said.
"I think it would be difficult to make preferred preferential arrangements for one particular scheme when we know that there are lots of employers struggling with the costs of their pension arrangements."
Ms Altmann also repeated her position, following protests and a meeting this week with the campaign group Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi), regarding women's state pension age.
Many women born between April 1951 and 1960 have claimed they were not aware that their pension age was being raised by up to six years.
The minister said she had sympathy for their position, but funds for any compromise would have to be found, and that was difficult in the current climate.
She did not want to give any "false promises" she said.
You can hear the interview on Money Box on BBC Radio 4 at 12:00 BST on Saturday, 2 July, and repeated at 21:00 on Sunday, 3 July.


The brother of a man who died at Hillsborough was himself killed nearly a decade later, an inquest heard.

Joe Glover was at the April 1989 FA Cup semi-final with brother Ian, who was one of the 96 to die, the Warrington coroner was told.
In a statement, the Glover family said Joe managed to escape the crush but could only watch as Ian died.
Almost exactly 10 years later Joe was crushed by falling marble at work, the hearing was told.
In the years after Ian's death, Mr Glover "never really recovered", the court was told.
Their sister Lorraine said Ian, from Liverpool and one of six children, was in the Leppings Lane terraces with his brother.
She said: "After the crush, [Joe] tried to resuscitate Ian and helped to carry him to the gymnasium."
She continued: "After the disaster Ian became one of the victims, number 37 [of the 96], which we found heartbreaking because to us he was our lad and our life.
"Joe was badly traumatised by what happened and never really recovered. He would often go missing and we would later find him asleep on Ian's grave."
She added: "Almost exactly 10 years after the Hillsborough disaster, Joe was also crushed to death. He was unloading a wagon at work when he was crushed by five tonnes of marble. Joe managed to save a colleague by pushing him out of the way."
The statement said Ian's clothes were still hanging in his bedroom at the family home.
Jurors have been listening to background statements about how the Hillsborough disaster affected individual families.
The inquest heard a statement from Peter Tootle's mother Joan. Peter, from Liverpool, was 21 when he died at Hillsborough.
Profiles of all those who died
The statement, read by Peter's cousin, described him as a "lovely lad".
She said: "[Peter] went to his first Liverpool match when he was 18 months old and he was hooked. I think 'Liverpool' was his first word".
The court also heard about Keith McGrath, 17, from Liverpool.
His mother Mary Corrigan, said it was "inevitable" her son was going to become a Liverpool supporter as most of the family supported the team.
She said: "We bought him a season ticket for Liverpool for his 17th birthday. All these years I've been saying if If we had not got him that ticket he would be home safe today. "
The jury heard from the family of Steven Robinson, who had an ambition to join Merseyside Police.
All four of his brothers and sisters stood in the witness box to give their memories of the 17-year-old from Crosby.
Peter cried as he told the court about his older brother Steven taking him to Anfield for his 12th birthday present.
Further statements were also read by the families of Brian Matthews, 38, from Liverpool and Peter Burkett, 24, from the Wirral.
The inquests, set to last a year, were ordered after new evidence revealed by the Hillsborough Independent Panel led to the original inquest verdicts being quashed.
Michael Mansfield QC, representing many of the families, told the court the statements had been "a permanent testament to the dignity of the human spirit".
The hearing was adjourned until May 20.


Wales flanker Justin Tipuric says it will be nothing new for him if he faces a much bigger South African opponent in Saturday's final Autumn Test.

Twenty-seven-year-old Tipuric, who weighs 15st 9lb, would give away around three stones in weight if he is picked opposite Willem Alberts.
"Even when I was younger, it would be playing against everyone much bigger than you," he told BBC Wales Sport.
"It's exactly the same now even at this stage of my life."
Wales and South Africa are both due to announce their teams on Thursday, 24 November.
Alberts wore the open-side jersey for the Springboks in their defeat by Italy, but faces a fitness test on a neck injury.
Fellow heavyweight Pieter-Steph du Toit filled the position against England, while Tipuric wore number seven for Wales against Australia and Argentina earlier in the month.
"If you're the smallest, people think they'll run over you for fun and it is nice to put in a good tackle and get them down. It's something you enjoy as a back-rower," said the Ospreys player.
Tipuric is renowned for being one of the fastest forwards in the game, but admits he had trouble convincing people of his physical attributes when he was younger.
He has made 45 Wales appearances and another for the British and Irish Lions - against Australia in 2013 - while largely being understudy Sam Warburton, the captain of both teams.
"To be honest I've always been smaller than everyone, growing up as a kid," he said.
"When I was younger at the Ospreys, there was a bit of my career when they said 'he's a bit too slow and a bit too small' but I've had a lot of ups and downs through my career. It's nothing abnormal to anyone else."
Style change
Tipuric says it could suit his style if Wales switch to a wider, more fluid game after years of more direct tactics under coach Warren Gatland, dubbed 'Warrenball'.
"If you're in a team like that and the ball's going a bit wider, it's something I enjoy," he added.
"We try to spread the ball a bit with the Ospreys and there's a bit more, how shall I say, enjoyment for me.
"We are getting there [with Wales]. It's a bit tough because we're not as fluid as we would like, everybody knows that. But we will get there, hopefully on Saturday."
Faletau option
Tipuric will be fighting for a back-row place in the squad after Taulupe Faletau's return to action for Bath last Friday against Bristol following a knee injury.
Skipper Warburton and Dan Lydiate are the other regulars in the back-row selection battle, while Ross Moriarty and James King have also made an impression this autumn.
"He's world-class, and to have him back starting or involved would be massive," said Tipuric.
"I think it raises everyone in the team when you see world-class players around you, you've got to be up to that standard."


An NHS trust's decision to move its boss to a new role with the same salary is a "scandal", according to the mother of a teenager who died under its watch.

Chief executive Katrina Percy resigned on Tuesday following pressure over the way Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust investigated patient deaths.
Ms Percy's salary is quoted in the trust's annual report as between £180,000 and £190,000.
Sara Ryan said: "It is a scandal... it doesn't happen in the real world."
An NHS England-commissioned probe found 272 of the 722 deaths over the last four years at the trust were dealt with properly.
In June, the trust accepted responsibility for the death of Ms Ryan's 18-year-old son Connor Sparrowhawk, who drowned in a bath at Slade House in Oxford.
Southern admitted it caused the death of Connor, who had suffered an epileptic seizure before he died in July 2013, and offered his family £80,000 compensation.
Talking about Ms Percy's new job, Ms Ryan said: "This is public money that is paying for this ridiculously over-inflated salary.
"She failed as a chief executive. How she could possibly keep the same salary?"
Gail Hanrahan, from the Oxfordshire Family Support Network, said people were "really angry".
She added: "It's typical NHS culture, just shifting the deck chairs.
"There seems to be no consequences for her after years of documented failure... nothing surprises me anymore with what the trust do.
"They seem to go against everything that makes sense to everybody.
"It makes you wonder what you have to do to get sacked from a high powered NHS job."
Rob Greig, the former Department of Health director for learning disabilities, said the salary was not appropriate for an advisory role.
"Any reputable job evaluation process would not conclude that those two jobs merited the same salary."
The trust's chairman Tim Smart described the job as an "alternative role working with local GP leaders providing strategic advice on the transformation of local health services".
"There is vital work that needs to be done for which she is ideally suited," he said.


Some people in Guernsey may be paying too much tax, according to the treasury minister.

The Social Security and Treasury departments have finished a two-year review of the tax system in the island.
Deputy Gavin St Pier said the review found anomalies in the way the island treats certain incomes for certain ages.
He said: "There are many people who are self employed who would say they are already paying too much."
The review, which started in 2013 looked at ways to incentivise people to work and support themselves.
It also examined how to ensure the tax system was competitive with other areas and States expenditure is controlled.
Deputy St Pier said: "If you are self employed your tax and social insurance burden is 30.5% up to the upper earnings limit of Â£132,000.
"One thing the survey has identified is that some of those anomalies, particularly in the way we treat certain incomes for certain ages and how social insurance is attached to those incomes, is something that needs to be looked at."
He said the departments plan to publish their findings in February for debate by the States in March.


Newport County stunned Coventry City to secure their first win of the season.

On their first ever visit to the Ricoh Arena, a second half goal from on-loan Brentford midfielder Reece Cole proved enough for Mike Flynn's side.
Cole's speculative effort was spilled by Coventry goalkeeper Liam O'Brien as the hosts conceded for the first time this season after successive wins.
Tony Andreu and Jodi Jones came close for the hosts, but they found visiting goalkeeper Joe Day in top form.
Newport County manager Mike Flynn told BBC Radio Wales:
"I am delighted, it was a great team performance.
"It has been an eventful week for me because my wife gave birth and this has kept the smile on my face.
"It is a beautiful stadium to come to and we are going in the right direction. We have competition in all positions in our squad."
Match ends, Coventry City 0, Newport County 1.
Second Half ends, Coventry City 0, Newport County 1.
Attempt saved. Tony Andreu (Coventry City) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top left corner.
Jack Grimmer (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Frank Nouble (Newport County).
Foul by Maxime Biamou (Coventry City).
Mark O'Brien (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Ben White (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jodi Jones (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Ben White (Newport County).
Lamar Reynolds (Newport County) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Peter Vincenti (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Lamar Reynolds (Newport County).
Tony Andreu (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joss Labadie (Newport County).
Attempt missed. Marc McNulty (Coventry City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Joe Day.
Attempt saved. Maxime Biamou (Coventry City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Delay in match Robbie Willmott (Newport County) because of an injury.
Peter Vincenti (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Robbie Willmott (Newport County).
Corner,  Newport County. Conceded by Peter Vincenti.
Foul by Tony Andreu (Coventry City).
Joss Labadie (Newport County) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Lamar Reynolds (Newport County) left footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Substitution, Coventry City. Maxime Biamou replaces Jordan Willis.
Jack Grimmer (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Frank Nouble (Newport County).
Foul by Michael Doyle (Coventry City).
Matthew Dolan (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Jack Grimmer (Coventry City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Substitution, Newport County. Scot Bennett replaces Reece Cole.
Substitution, Newport County. Lamar Reynolds replaces Joe Quigley.
Corner,  Coventry City. Conceded by Mark O'Brien.
Attempt saved. Tony Andreu (Coventry City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Rod McDonald (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Joe Quigley (Newport County).
Foul by Jordan Willis (Coventry City).
Joe Quigley (Newport County) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Marc McNulty (Coventry City) right footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses the top right corner.


A new support service has opened in Ceredigion for people affected by cancer.

The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Centre is based in the entrance of Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth.
It offers confidential advice to patients, families and carers on issues such as welfare benefits.
The service is part of a Â£3.3m investment made in the health board over the last five years to support posts and projects.
Hywel Dda University Health Board's chief executive, Steve Moore said they were "extremely proud" of the new service.
It would "provide local people with additional support when they need it most," he said.


NHS Wales can be among the world's best for cancer care if big changes are made in how quickly it is diagnosed, says an international expert.

Wales and the other UK nations have some of the worst cancer survival rates in the developed world.
But Prof Frede Olesen said lessons can be learned from Denmark, which has improved how patients with less obvious symptoms are diagnosed.
Welsh health experts have just returned from a fact-finding visit.
Prof Olesen from University of Aarhus said part of the reason Wales was lagging behind many other countries was patients too often waited too long for a diagnosis.
As a result too many patients start treatment at a late stage when their cancer is well advanced or has become incurable.
In recent years Denmark has transformed the way its health service delivers cancer care, after international research suggested it was performing poorly compared to other developed countries.
Denmark's poor performance -  it ranked alongside the UK nations in international league tables -  was considered a "disaster" by Danish politicians and the medical profession.
One of the key changes introduced in Denmark was to develop a system where patients who are ill, but do not have clear symptoms of a specific cancer - can have diagnostic tests more quickly.
These can take place within a few days or even within a few hours of a GP making a referral.
Special "one stop shop" diagnostic centres have been set up at hospitals for those with more vague symptoms, while other open-access centres are able to provide quick one-off tests or scans and to report back quickly to GPs.
Similar patients in Wales can wait weeks or even months for those tests.
Emerging research suggests Denmark is now closing the gap with the best performing countries on cancer survival.
"We can't say for sure yet whether it's the waits, better treatment, concentration of treatment or better equipment, but there have been calculations showing that waits really matter," said Prof Olesen.
"In my perception, there is no doubt shorter waits mean better prognosis."
A group of cancer specialists, GPs and health managers were shown the Danish model.
One expert said survival rates in Wales are "not as good as they should be".
Part of the problem is that patients with not obviously serious symptoms can get "lost in the system" - even though this group of patients ultimately account for around 50% of cancer cases.
Dr Tom Crosby, medical director of the Wales Cancer Network, said: "What they've demonstrated [in Denmark] is that what's taking us weeks and months in Wales to diagnose patients, particularly with those vague and non specific symptoms, they're now doing in a matter of days and there's nothing they're doing here that we can't do in Wales."
He said cancer patients in Wales generally had a very good experience in hospital but survival was not as good as it should be.
"This is more than just statistics, we know survival needs to improve but also it's devastating for us to see patients who complained of vague or non specific symptoms for months to be ultimately diagnosed with incurable disease."
But health bosses say they are confident that some of the changes introduced in Denmark can be replicated in Wales.
Cwm Taf Health Board in the south Wales valleys says it has already adopted some of the principles of the Danish model - for example in a project to diagnose head and neck cancers more quickly.
The health board is eager to hold further pilots, based on the changes made in Denmark, which, if successful, could perhaps be rolled out across Wales.
John Palmer, director of primary and community care at Cwm Taf, said they were already making progress in areas like breast cancer but they could "definitely scale up and do more".
"Every single day, NHS Wales does amazing things, mainly through collaboration - our multi disciplinary teams deal with highly complex work and most of the time deliver very effective services," he said.
"So I feel strongly we ought to be optimistic and there are real opportunities to roll out this work."


Arsenal centre-back Laurent Koscielny says he has no desire to leave the club amid reported interest from French side Marseille.

The 31-year-old joined from Lorient in 2010 and signed a contract extension until 2020 in January.
The France international previously stopped short of ruling out a move to Marseille, but has now committed his future to the Gunners.
"I am just here to enjoy my job and give everything for the team," he said.
"When I first got here, I didn't think about how long I would stay at this club - but now I am starting my eighth season."
Koscielny, who has made over 200 appearances for Arsenal, added: "Arsene Wenger is a big [inspiration] for me. He bought me from France, has given me everything to help me play for Arsenal, and has helped me as a man too.
"I have a big [loyalty] to this club and to the boss too. I am happy to be here with him and to fight for him because he is a great person."
Arsenal, who are on a pre-season tour of Australia and China, have recruited France striker Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon for a club record £46.5m and the left-back Sead Kolasinac from Schalke so far this summer.


Campaigners opposing plans for a "super prison" housing 1,000 inmates in East Yorkshire said the site would leave them feeling "very vulnerable".

Outline planning permission has been approved by East Riding Council for a £91m Category C jail near an existing high-security prison in Full Sutton.
Residents said the safety of the village was at risk and there would be an increase in traffic.
The government said modern jails would help cut re-offending.
More on this and other stories across East Yorkshire
Maddy Ruff, 53, who has lived in the village for 13 years, said: "From a safeguarding perspective we feel very vulnerable.
"People who are in the last two years of their sentence will be allowed to leave the prison and wander around. There's children in the village and our safety will be at risk."
She said the 38,217 sq m building, which is proposed to be built on Moor Lane, would result in a "huge amount of traffic" arising from an increase in "inmates, visitors and staff".
"It's going to absolutely ruin our small village," she said. "The road network is completely unsuitable. The bus only comes twice a day.
"We're not going to sit by and let this happen."
Resident and campaigner Liz Pert said: "As far as I understand they'll be getting visitors up to three times a week. A thousand prisoners means up to three thousand visits.
"The village just can't cope with all that traffic."
Andrew Neilson, from the Howard League for Penal Reform, said building bigger prisons was not the answer and called for "better management of the size of the prison population".
In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said: "We have undergone extensive work to ensure the Full Sutton site is suitable for a new development.
"We fully understand the concerns of residents, and are committed to mitigating any disruption that may arise from the development of the site."


BBC News School Report has enjoyed many highlights since it started in 2007 - from world record attempts to interviews with global figures.

Why not enjoy a selection of them here, as we also look forward to many more exciting news stories from the country's young journalists.
More than 100 UK schools took part on the first News Day, making and broadcasting their own news.
The stories covered included interviews with the main political party leaders, including prime minister Tony Blair, by five groups of 12 to 13-year-old schoolchildren.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
Among the many schools taking part was Fort Hill Community School in Basingstoke, where pupils were unhappy with the way teenagers were portrayed in the media.
Four School Reporters met local Conservative MP Maria Miller to air their concerns and to find out what she thought could be done to help young people.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
The issue of mobile phones concerned Westhoughton High School in Bolton on News Day, and whether banning them in school was necessarily a bad idea.
School Reporters set about investigating whether their mobiles could actually be used to enhance their education.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
The year also saw our first special report, to mark the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
It included a report by School Reporters from Maidenhill School in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, whose own climate change correspondent, Annie, aged 15, interviewed Archbishop Desmond Tutu at the conference.
For all our Climate Change 2009 stories click here.
By 2010 more than 700 schools and 25,000 schoolchildren were taking part on News Day.
The year saw a record-breaking temperature measurement - involving School Reporters from as far afield as the Shetland Islands and a school on St Helena in the South Atlantic!
At around 09:15, schools across the country each took a Celsius reading and e-mailed it in to the BBC Weather Centre, where they were compiled for a huge interactive weather report. One lucky school enrolled weatherman Michael Fish to help take a reading in the Blue Peter garden at Television Centre in west London.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
Hundreds of students across the UK - and beyond - took part in the first School Report Sports Day as part of a BBC news-making initiative.
Among the day's top events, 2008 triple Olympic cycling gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy visited Hartford High School in Cheshire, where he spoke by video link to students in the Malaysian city of Ipoh.
For all our Sports Day 2010 stories click here.
More than 24,000 children aged 11 to 16 contributed to a BBC School Report survey which gave a unique insight into the daily lives, fears and aspirations of a generation of young people in the UK.
A third of the children surveyed said their families had cut back on spending amid the economic downturn. Crime topped their list of personal fears, while terrorism and climate change were their biggest global concerns.
For all the Survey 2011 stories click here.
Pupils from Bonus Pastor Catholic College in Lewisham got the experience of a lifetime when they interviewed street dance sensation Flawless for the fifth anniversary of School Report's News Day.
The group became famous when they appeared on Britain's Got Talent in 2009 and were the stars of the 2010 film StreetDance 3D.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
Among the highlights of News Day, was an interview by School Reporters from West Bridgford School with Bank of England Governor Sir Mervyn King.
And pupils at St Mary's High School stood in for the head and deputy head for the day, while the teachers took their places in the classroom.
Meanwhile, School Reporters at Oxford Spires Academy were thrilled when The Duchess of Cambridge visited the school.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
The London Olympics and Paralympics offered a unique opportunity for School Reporters to experience sport at the very highest level.,
It also provided School Reporter Tasnim, from Morpeth School, the chance to perform at the Paralympics closing ceremony alongside Coldplay and Rihanna, where she had to run inside a mechanical fish!
For all our School Report at London 2012 stories click here.
Some 33,000 School Reporters took part in the project's seventh annual News Day, covering topics from punks to policemen and Branson to budgets.
And, in a special film for School Report, three students from Southend High School for Girls travelled back to the decade of legwarmers, neon and Rubik's cubes to ask whether it was better to be a teenager in the 1980s or now.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.
Education Secretary Michael Gove revealed his rapping talent when a group of School Reporters interviewed him at the Department for Education.
And students across the UK had the chance to present the weather forecast in their home nation or region.
For all the 2014 News Day stories, click here.
School Report held its first Radio Festival as the highlight of Year 9 of the project. BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show presenter Nick Grimshaw was among the high-profile guests while other students visiting the BBC had the opportunity to meet fellow DJ Tevor Nelson.
Away from the Festival, a group of students were challenged to see if they could do without social media for a week - with fascinating results.
And six political parties created party election broadcasts especially for young people.
To look back at the 2015 News Day stories, click here.
Around 30,000 students from more than 1,000 schools up and down the UK and beyond took part in the project's 10th anniversary News Day.
Pupils from Northumberland Church of England Academy in Ashington monitored their own sleep as the school became the first of 100 asked to take part in an Oxford University research project - Teen Sleep - aimed at determining how much sleep teenagers need.
A group of School Reporters from Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone, east London, decided to investigate whether mindfulness meditation can help pupils concentrate amid the distractions of 21st Century living.
And students from La Retraite Roman Catholic School reported on how, because of budget cuts meaning funding for young carers has reduced, the burden of caring is falling more on young females than males.
For all the year's News Day stories click here.


National cross-country champion Callum Hawkins says athletics in Scotland has come on "leaps and bounds" and aims to improve on his ninth place finish in the Rio Olympics marathon at this summer's World Championships in London.

Hawkins, the pre-race favourite over the 10km course at Falkirk's Callendar Park, broke away on the first of three laps to win very comfortably.
Chris Jones of Dundee Hawkhill was second ahead of Shettleston's Lachlan Oates.
It was Hawkins' second success at an event that has also been won by big brother Derek. Both are coached by father Robert, and the younger sibling, still spattered in mud as he signed autographs for fans waiting at the finish-line, reflected on the overall feel-good factor in Scotland.
"We had 15 Scots at the Olympics. And that, at least in my lifetime, is unheard of. And now Laura Muir, Andrew Butchart and myself - running the kind of times we are - it's just a snowball.
"Everyone is just bouncing off each other and it's just great for the sport in Scotland."
The next target for Hawkins is the New York half-marathon on 19 March, then the focus switches to London in August.
"Hopefully I can improve on what I did in Rio," he said.
Hawkins' win was the final act in a frenetic day in Falkirk, where well over 2,000 athletes splashed their way around a sometimes sodden track in all the various age-group races.
There was a fine victory in the main women's event for Morag MacLarty, who says making it into next year's Scottish Commonwealth Games team could be tougher than the trials for Rio.
It was a first senior cross-country title for the 31-year-old Central AC athlete, who won with a fine piece of front running to see off the defending champion, and Rio Olympian, Beth Potter. Lothian's Sarah Inglis took the bronze medal.
"I'm very injury-prone," said MacLarty. "My physio just identified a leg-length difference and she's been amazing. She's keeping me in one piece so I've been able to get a few months' consistent training which I've never had for as long as I can remember so I'm excited to see what I can do if I keep myself in one piece.
"Getting in the Scottish team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast is going be crazy. The Scottish team is so strong, if you're looking at the 5,000m for women. So I don't know; I'm going to have to see what event I'm going to go for first . It will be a bit of a tall order."


To many people, their local pharmacy is the place where they pick up their medicines and perhaps their toiletries.

But potentially that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Over the past decade or so pharmacists have been given more and more responsibilities in the NHS, just as nurses have.
It means many now offer blood pressure checks, and cholesterol and blood glucose level tests alongside pregnancy testing and sexually transmitted infection services.
Colds and flu can often be dealt with there, without bothering a GP at all, while some even provide stop smoking services and prescribe drugs and treatments.
But despite their expanding remit, much of the public is oblivious.
Less than a third of people asked in a recent YouGov poll of over 2,000 people were aware of what pharmacists could offer.
So now Pharmacy Voice, which represents the industry, is launching a drive to change perceptions.
It is running a two-year promotional campaign, Dispensing Health, to promote what the UK's 13,000 community pharmacies can do.
"Pharmacy is the third largest health profession (in the health sector) after medicine and nursing," says Pharmacy Voice chief executive Prof Robert Darracott. "Yet people still don't really know who we are and what we can do."
He says the aim of the campaign is to "challenge the traditional view of pharmacies as simply dispensers of medicine" so that they are seen as a place where illness can be treated and good health promoted.
The push has received the backing of GPs with both the Royal College of GPs and NHS Alliance, which represents community services, putting their names to the campaign.
Making sure the potential of pharmacies is realised could also have important implications for the rest of the health service too.
A review by NHS England into the A&E system, which was published in November, said pharmacies were an "under-used" resource that if tapped into could take the pressure off GPs who in turn would then have time to take on some of the workload of hospitals.
Dr Mike Dixon, of the NHS Alliance, says: "Community pharmacy is perfectly positioned to take the strain from GPs and A&E departments that are bursting at the seams."
It is thought as many as one in seven GP appointments could be dealt with by pharmacies - about 40m a year.
If that was to happen it could have a profound effect on the entire NHS.


The new Justice Secretary Michael Gove is known to be courteous, charming, and confrontational.

He is likely to have to call upon all of those very different qualities in meeting the thorniest challenge nestling uncomfortably in his in-tray.
Hot from the Conservative manifesto, is the pledge to scrap the much disliked, much misrepresented and much admired Human Rights Act (HRA) - it really depends what newspaper you read.
The manifesto says: "The next Conservative government will scrap the Human Rights Act, and introduce a British Bill of Rights.
"This will break the formal link between British courts and the European Court of Human Rights, and make our own Supreme Court the ultimate arbiter of human rights matters in the UK."
The 1998 HRA incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention) into domestic law, enabling all of us to enforce our human rights in our own courts.
The HRA requires British courts to 'take into account' judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
There is much debate as to just how binding that makes Strasbourg's judgments - completely, significantly or not really that binding at all, more part of an interesting dialogue with our own judges.
However, the UK was signed up to the Convention long before we incorporated it into domestic law in the form of the HRA.
The Convention was the child of Winston Churchill's desire to enthrone human rights in the aftermath of their horrendous abuse during the World War Two, and was drafted by British lawyers.
Scrapping what the prime minister has called "Labour's Human Rights Act" in favour of a British Bill of Rights could be attempted in a way that makes a relatively marginal change in Human Rights law and has little effect on the UK's international reputation.
Alternatively, it could amount to a seismic change which takes the UK outside the Convention and into a human rights netherland with Europe's sole remaining dictatorship, Belarus.
"We will scrap Labour's Human Rights Act and introduce a British Bill of Rights which will restore common sense to the application of human rights in the UK.
"The Bill will remain faithful to the basic principles of human rights, which we signed up to in the original European Convention on Human Rights. It will protect basic rights, like the right to a fair trial, and the right to life, which are an essential part of a modern democratic society.
"But it will reverse the mission creep that has meant human rights law being used for more and more purposes, and often with little regard for the rights of wider society.
"Among other things the Bill will stop terrorists and other serious foreign criminals who pose a threat to our society from using spurious human rights arguments to prevent deportation."
A British Bill of Rights which incorporates the HRA with a bit of "plus and minus" could meet the manifesto pledge to scrap the act, without heralding major change.
On the plus side, there would perhaps be a right to jury trial, and a right enshrining the freedom of the press.
Last October, the Conservatives published plans for changing Britain's Human Rights laws in 'Protecting Human Rights in the UK'.
It identified problems with Article 8, the right to a private and family life.
The application of that right in the courts was seen as a block on deporting foreign criminals and the issue has undoubtedly infuriated many people.
There is a concern that it is just too easy for those who have broken the law and who don't deserve its protection, to shelter behind the right.
The paper also cited Article 3, which provides protection from the risk of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment.
It was applied by Strasbourg in its ruling that whole life sentences without the possibility of review, were unlawful.
That issue has been resolved in a dialogue of judgments with our own Court of Appeal.
Whole life sentences can and are being imposed on the most heinous murderers.
So, on the minus side, the British Bill would undoubtedly place limits on the right to family life.
Critics of the government's plans might well accept some qualifications here.
Limitations on Article 3, would be far more problematic and contentious.
But how would a British Bill of Rights relate to the European Convention on Human Rights?
Would it alone "break the formal link" between the British Courts and Strasbourg?
Presumably the government is content for there to be an informal or less formal link with the court?
The Bill could provide for judgments of the ECHR to be advisory only.
That would mean that the UK would be playing by a different set of rules from the other 46 member states in the Council of Europe, the international organisation which is NOT to be confused with the EU, but which promotes human rights across all 47 of the council's member states and runs the Strasbourg court.
A further problem here is that it is not just the Human Rights Act which compels the UK to "take into account" Strasbourg rulings.
Article 46 of the Convention states that: "The High Contracting Parties undertake to abide by the final judgment of the Court in any case to which they are parties."
In other words, we're bound to take Strasbourg's rulings into account under the HRA, and if we scrap that, we're still bound!  Not sure everyone has quite grasped that one.
In October the Conservatives said they would "engage with the Council of Europe, and seek recognition that our approach is a legitimate way of applying the Convention".
So maybe there is a pragmatic solution?
Perhaps the Bill would include a provision for some oversight of Strasbourg judgments - a parliamentary committee which acts as a filter between the court's decisions and any legislative change?
Symbolically breaking the direct link with the Court, but in reality doing little new.
The October document went on to say "in the event that we are unable to reach that agreement, the UK would be left with no alternative but to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights".
That threat didn't make it into the manifesto, an omission seen by some as a rowing back on what would be the seismic reform option.
Some Conservatives want to depart from the Convention and see the British Bill as the first step in that process.
That would entail leaving the Council of Europe and joining Belarus as Europe's only human rights outsiders.
Even Russia which has shown scant regard for its obligation to follow judgments from Strasbourg, has never threatened to depart the Convention and leave the Council.
Assuming that Mr Gove decides to go for the less drastic option, a sort of moving of the human rights deckchairs to make them more British in feel, he will nonetheless be mindful of his wafer-thin Commons majority.
That means getting on board those Conservative critics like former Attorney General Dominic Grieve QC and former Justice Secretary Ken Clarke QC.
A sherry and a pint of bitter may be waiting for them in the Commons Bar as the first "liquid" step in a Gove charm offensive.
Oh, but even with the party fully onside, there is one further giant legal and constitutional vipers' nest for Mr Gove to negotiate.
The human rights in the Convention are a key part of the devolution arrangements with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In the latter case they are enshrined in the Good Friday agreement, an international treaty.
If those rights are changed will that mean that the devolution settlements need to be amended - and just how do you go about that?
Or would there be a fracturing of human rights in the UK, with different versions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
At a time when cohesion of the Union is a political priority for the government, that doesn't seem a very attractive option.
So, how quickly will Mr Gove move? Not very, I suspect.
There is in existence a draft Bill of Rights which the former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling promised would be published before the election.  It wasn't.
There is a strong argument for delaying it until after the EU referendum.
As important as Human Rights reform is, to tackle it before the UK's membership of the EU is settled, would be putting the political cart before the much bigger political horse.
Mr Gove might conclude that, despite the best efforts of some to make it so, Human Rights reform is not a totemic issue of public concern.
It will be very interesting to see if the reforms make it into the Queen's Speech on 27 May.
A pint and a sherry say maybe they won't.


India's royalty lost their official powers when the nation gained independence in 1947, but there is still a great sense of romance and fascination with the men and women who once ruled large tracts of the country.

However, the discourse has mostly centred around the "maharajas" or kings, many of whom are still wealthy and influential.
Although there have been prominent maharanis (queens) like Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who was instrumental in promoting girls' education in India, and featured on a Vogue list of "most beautiful women", many of India's royal women have been out of the spotlight and not much is known about them.
A photography studio, Tasveer, is now trying to change that - as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations, it has collected portraits of Indian queens and princesses and is showing it in an exhibition, titled "Maharani: Women of Royal India".
Tasveer said the pictures were sourced from the archives of the Museum of Art and Photography, royal collections from across the subcontinent and other institutional and private collections both in India and abroad such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery in London, and the Amar Mahal Museum and Library in Jammu.


Outdoors broadcaster Cameron McNeish has called for a "complete shake-up" of how the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park is managed.

In a column for the Walk Highlands website, Mr McNeish said there had been several "failures in governance" by the park authority.
He has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urging change.
The park's chief executive, Gordon Watson, said Mr McNeish's allegations were "totally unfounded".
The broadcaster's comments focus on plans approved by the authority in April that would ban camping without a permit around many of the lochs in the park.
The proposals have been criticised by some outdoor recreation groups in Scotland, but the park maintains that the measures are necessary to protect the environment from anti-social behaviour. They have also seen widespread support from residents of the park.
The authority wants to establish four "camping management" areas on the busiest loch shores with investment in new official camping facilities, including 300 new camping places.
The plans are currently with Scottish ministers awaiting a final decision.
But Mr McNeish, who lives in Newtonmore in the Cairngorm National Park, said government approval of the by-laws would "damage land reform progress and drastically reduce the opportunities for public enjoyment of the outdoors".
He also accused the park authority of "misusing statistics" to bolster its case.
A document outlining these points, signed by Mr McNeish, has been sent to Ms Sturgeon and the Environment Minister, Dr Aileen McLeod.
It has also been signed by former MP and MSP Dennis Canavan, Dave Morris, the former director of Ramblers Scotland, and Nick Kempe - ex-president of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and former board member of Scottish Natural Heritage.
Mr Kempe has made a series of Freedom of Information requests relating to the park's management of issues like the by-laws and the approval of the gold mine at Cononish near Tyndrum.
Mr McNeish wrote in his column: "Our advice to the Scottish government is concise and clear. The camping by-laws issue points to a clear need for effective, co-ordinated government action to help the national park out of the cul-de-sac into which it has driven with the camping by-law proposals.
"The essential first step must be the abandonment of the camping by-law proposals.
"We already have strong legislation in place to deal with the kind of problems the park board wants to solve with by-laws - litter, vandalism, loutish behaviour etc, but the Scottish government also needs to support the park in the development of an adequate camping infrastructure over the next 10 years, even if that means compulsory purchase of suitable locations."
However, the national park has strongly defended its decision to approve the legislation.
"The proposals referred to are based on years of experience of dealing with issues that are destroying the fragile environment that makes the national park such a special and cherished place," Mr Watson said.
"They were developed after many months of discussions at over 70 meetings with a wide range of stakeholders including outdoor recreation groups, and of course our local communities whose lives are blighted by these issues year-in, year-out."
Mr Watson, who took over as chief executive of the park earlier this year, said the measures would affect just 3.7% of the park and were aimed at "dramatically improving the experience of the national park for everyone".
"We completely refute the allegations in the [Mr McNeish's] blog, which are totally unfounded," he added.
The park's proposals are rooted in a "Five Lochs" study, which originally looked at problems around Loch Venachar, Loch Lubnaig, Loch Earn, Loch Achray and Loch Voil.
The study followed camping and alcohol bans along parts of east Loch Lomond, introduced in 2011. The park says the bans have resulted in more families visiting the area and a reduction in anti-social behaviour.
If the Scottish government approves the park's proposals, wild camping would be banned around almost all of the Trossachs lochs, as well as most of the west shore of Loch Lomond and the northern tip of Loch Long.


An investigation is underway after the discovery of the body of a rare bird of prey in south-west Scotland.

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12 August 2015 Last updated at 16:31 BST
The bird was a hen harrier called Annie, she was found in April after a huge search involving the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the police.
The RSPB carried out an examination on the bird, which revealed it had been shot.
The charity now needs help to find out exactly what happened.
The hen harrier is one of the UK's most threatened birds.
In England last year there were thought to be only four nests across the whole of the country.
Their numbers declined significantly in the period between 2004 to 2010.
Annie had been fitted with a satellite transmitter as a chick.
Scientists use these devices to try and find out more about the lifestyle of these birds to see what other reasons could be causing the population to fall.
The alarm was raised after the tracking device suggested the bird stopped moving in mid-March.
Environment Minister Aileen McLeod said it was "extremely disappointing" to hear that Annie had been shot.


Juventus moved closer to a fifth successive Serie A title with a home victory over Empoli.

Alvaro Morata hit the crossbar for the hosts with a long-range effort before Mario Mandzukic headed in from Paul Pogba's chip just before half-time.
Riccardo Saponara had Empoli's best chance but he shot over.
The victory takes Juventus six points above Napoli, who play away at Udinese in their game in hand on Sunday (11:30 BST).
Massimiliano Allegri's side had chances to extend their lead but Kwadwo Asamoah just failed to reach the ball after Lukasz Skorupski spilled Morata's drive.
In the closing minutes, Morata ran down the left wing and pulled the ball back for Simone Zaza, whose shot was saved by Skorupski.


Work to build a new stand at the home of Northampton Saints rugby club has begun.

The Barwell Stand will replace the Sturtridge Pavilion which has overlooked the pitch at Franklin's Gardens for 50 years.
When finished it will increase the capacity of the stadium by 1,900 to accommodate more than 15,500 people.
It is hoped the club will be able to encourage a Heineken Cup quarter final once the work is complete.
To do that, rules state the ground requires a minimum capacity of 15,000.
A club spokesman said extra space was needed as it had operated at an average of 98% capacity during the past five years' Premiership matches.
The all-seated stand will include a new hospitality suite, members' bar and improved disability access.
Access to the stadium is being diverted via Abbey Street while the work is carried out.
It will be built in time for the 2015-16 season.


In 1971, Mother Teresa was something of an international celebrity, revered around the world for her work with the poor.

When a call came through to west Belfast priest Fr Des Wilson that she was keen to move to the city, his delight was surpassed only by his disbelief.
The call came from his friend, Methodist clergyman the Reverend Roger Greeves, who had met Mother Teresa at a conference in London.
"He told me that she expressed great interest in the situation in Northern Ireland and said she wanted to do something to help," said Fr Wilson.
Although thrilled by the news, Fr Wilson had some concerns about her proposal to set up home on a peace line.
His fear was not just for the nuns' safety - he felt their presence on one of the many borders that separated Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods could represent a simplification of the Troubles.
"I worried that if they set up on an interface, it could strengthen this notion that the conflict was about Protestants and Catholics warring with each other, as opposed to what it was really about, which was bad governance and inequality."
At the time, the reconciliation group Pace (Protestant and Catholic Encounter), which Fr Wilson helped establish, was being lambasted by DUP leader Ian Paisley, and he did not want the nuns' presence to be seen as provocative to unionists.
Mother Teresa arrived in Ballymurphy on 2 October 1971. Her attendance at Sunday mass the following day was a source of huge excitement in the parish of Corpus Christi.
"She got a standing ovation and then the congregation just swarmed around her," said Fr Wilson.
Later that day, Mother Teresa met the Bishop of Down and Connor William Philbin to discuss her plans.
"He was very taken by her and gave her his blessing.
"We were astonished and delighted in equal measure - we never expected that the bishop would offer his approval so quickly."
Further surprise came when Mother Teresa chose to live in Ballymurphy - an estate which had been marred by horrific violence only two months previously.
In August 1971, a Catholic priest and a mother-of-eight were among 11 people killed by the Parachute Regiment in what became known as the Ballymurphy massacre.
"You have to understand, this was the estate everyone wanted out of," said Fr Wilson. "And then along came this renowned, celebrated person doing the exact opposite."
Two houses on Springhill Avenue were provided for the Missionaries of Charity sisters, which Mother Teresa founded in 1950, and people set about making the properties as welcoming a space as possible.
"The houses were a wreck but they were done up very quickly," said Fr Wilson.
"The nuns lived in one of the houses, and the other was used as a place for the community to come and learn new skills."
From the beginning, the nuns were known simply as "Mother Teresa's Sisters".
Fr Wilson said the work of the makeshift convent lifted the morale of the community.
"It wasn't what was done that was important but that something was being done - somebody out there believed in the people of Ballymurphy," he said.
"The young people gathered in the sisters' house and sang and worked. Some learned to read and write."
The convent was also one of the few places in the area with a working phone, and often anxious mothers would arrive to make desperate enquiries about the non-arrival of social welfare payments or news about imprisoned family members.
But despite winning the hearts of the people, the nuns failed to gain the support of some senior clergy in the Catholic Church.
Fr Wilson suggested some in the Church did not want Belfast to be seen as a "charity case".
"From their perspective, missionaries were sent by us to other countries - we didn't need missionaries coming here. There was a perception that they brought shame on us because their presence suggested we couldn't deal with our own problems."
Although resilient at the beginning, as time went on, the nuns' treatment by the Church became harder to bear.
"It became quite personal and very hurtful in the end," said Fr Wilson.
"Eventually, in the autumn of 1973, I was preparing for a trip to Lourdes and Sister Frederick [one of the Missionaries of Charity nuns] told me that by the time I got back, they would be gone.
"I couldn't believe it."
"I suppose it would be described as constructive dismissal today - they went of their own free will but only because their lives were made so difficult."
The Catholic Church denied they had forced Mother Teresa and the other nuns to leave and said the Sisters of Charity had left of their own free will.
Fr Wilson pleaded with Mother Teresa and the sisters to change their minds but to no avail.
"She said: 'Des, there are 32 other dioceses who are asking us for help, who need us to come. We can't continue to stay in a place where we're not wanted."
But their presence in west Belfast left a lasting legacy.
A month after they left, a petition was drawn up by parishioners and circulated around Ballymurphy.
It called for a new approach to the administration of the parish, including the establishment of a parish council with a say in the election of the new priest and on all matters affecting the local community.
And Mother Teresa never forgot Ballymurphy.
Writing in July 1981, she said: "This brings my prayer and gratitude for all you did for our sisters when in Belfast.
"My prayer is and was very close to you all this time. I still pray that you may grow in the likeness of Christ through love and compassion, and so become an  instrument of peace."


An MP has told how his father "died in my arms" after being sent home due to a shortage of hospital beds.

Toby Perkins told a Commons debate on the NHS his father went to Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital in July 2015 suffering from "extreme pain".
He had symptoms of an aneurysm but was sent home after five hours in A&E, the Chesterfield MP said. His father died four days later.
The BBC has contacted the hospital for a response.
Mr Perkins' father had suffered a near-fatal aneurysm three years earlier while on holiday in Germany.
He added he was "ashamed to say that I'm grateful" his father had the first aneurysm abroad, as "the quality of the emergency care he received in Munich saved his life".
"I regret the same could not be said of our NHS," he added.
Mr Perkins told ministers the registrar who saw his father commented it had been a "non-stop afternoon" and asked his father whether he minded going home.
"He said he had sent home five people who should have been in hospital because they were not enough beds.
"These pressures and these life and death decisions are not unique to that registrar, or to that hospital."
The NHS and social care is in the midst of a crisis that leaves the elderly and disabled isolated and struggling to cope, and "means people being sent home from A&E to die", Mr Perkins said.
"We must do better," he added.