China, the world's second-largest economy, has set its growth target at about 7% for this year, the government said.

The announcement was made by Premier Li Keqiang at the start of the National People's Congress on Thursday.
The target is lower than 7.5% set last year, which was missed after China grew at its slowest pace in 24 years.
The new target is in line with China's plan to guide the economy towards slower and more sustainable growth.
China's economy expanded by 7.4% last year from 7.7% in 2013, following a cooling of the property market, slowing factory activity and easing business and government investment.
Growth of 7% in 2015 will mark the country's weakest expansion in a quarter of a century.
Premier Li also said the government would have a consumer inflation target at about 3%, down from 3.5% in 2014.
The country's annual inflation hit a five-year low in January of 0.8% - below expectations of a 1% rise. Factory deflation also worsened - highlighting persistent weakness in the economy.
Mr Li said that the economy would face greater difficulties this year, compared to the previous one.
Over the weekend, China cut interest rates for the second time in three months to boost lending and growth in the economy.
The government also pledged to rein in local government debt and deepen reforms of state-owned businesses.
It aims to create 10 million jobs and keep the urban unemployment rate at 4.5% or below.
In an attempt to push for financial reforms, Mr Li announced that a trial of a trading link between its Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets would be launched at an "appropriate time".
The move comes after a link between the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges was established in November - allowing investors to trade stocks on both exchanges.


Wales centre Jonathan Davies admits he needs to work on his form and fitness but hopes to feature in the Six Nations.

Davies, 27, who will rejoin Scarlets for the 2016-17 season, missed the World Cup with a serious injury.
He made a try scoring comeback after seven months out in Clermont's European Champions Cup win over Exeter.
"There is a goal but at the moment I'm just concentrating on making sure I'm playing well for Clermont," he said.
"I'd love to get back in the Six Nations squad but it's down to me to make sure I keep working hard in training and perform consistently.
"First things first, I've got to get through a whole game - I only lasted 67 minutes on Saturday."
Wales begin their Six Nations campaign in Ireland on 7 February. Before the tournament starts, Clermont have six games, including three in the European Champions Cup.
Clermont's bonus-point win over Exeter Chiefs threw Pool Two wide open, with all four teams still in with a chance of qualification to the quarter-finals.
Ospreys are top with Clermont in second place ahead of their meeting at the Liberty Stadium in January.
Clermont, last season's beaten finalists, won 34-29 when the sides met in November.
With a game in hand over their rivals, Davies says the French team are in a good position and confident of progressing to the last eight.
"The group as it stands at the moment is quite evenly balanced," Davies told BBC Wales Sport.
"The Ospreys have done extremely well picking up those bonus points when they've come to France twice.
"They're playing some good rugby and ran us close when they came to Clermont.
"We know we've got a game in hand and we have every confidence we can qualify and move forward through the latter stages.
"It's going to be a tough ask but I do feel we've got plenty of quality in our squad to make a stamp on this European competition this year."


Amir Khan's trainer, Virgil Hunter, admits his charge lacks "killer instinct" ahead of his fight against Saul Alvarez in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Britain's Khan, 29, is moving up two weights to challenge his Mexican rival for the WBC middleweight title at the T-Mobile Arena.
If Khan won, he would be only the third ex-light-welterweight world champion to win a middleweight world title.
"Killer instinct has to be in you, you can't call it up," said Hunter.
"You see some kids in the gym and they want to hurt somebody. That's killer instinct.
"If they get beaten up they're back the next day, with a vengeance. That's a trait."
American Hunter was appointed Khan's trainer in 2012, following the fighter's knockout defeat by Danny Garcia.
Since that night, Khan has won all five of his fights but is a big underdog against Alvarez, whose only defeat in 48 pro contests was by American legend Floyd Mayweather in 2013.
On Wednesday, Khan conceded he did not have the power to hurt Alvarez and would have to rely on his speed instead.
However, Hunter claimed Khan's body punching was as good as anyone's.
"His left hook to the liver matches anything," said Hunter, who also trains Andre Ward, who is arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
"The punch he put Marcos Maidana down with was as good as anything I've seen. He can really hit to the body.
"But I don't advise him to trade punches with Alvarez, because he's giving up too much size."
While the fight has been made at a catch-weight of 155lb - five pounds under the middleweight limit - Alvarez is expected to weigh almost a stone heavier on fight night.
Meanwhile, American boxing great Bernard Hopkins has compared Khan to Welshman Joe Calzaghe, who beat Hopkins in Vegas in 2008.
"Canelo is definitely the most powerful of the two," said Hopkins, a former middle and light-heavyweight world champion.
"But Khan's volume of punches reminds me of Joe Calzaghe. He's a guy who swarms you with punches so that by the time you get your bearings, the fight's over.
"You're not going to die, you didn't get hurt, but you've got so many bee stings you don't know where to scratch. You just know you've got to get the hell out of there.
"But Canelo wins on Saturday by knockout, in the ninth or 10th round."


A teenage girl whose burned body was found in a Blackpool alleyway was stabbed in the head before attempts were made to set her on fire, police have said.

Sasha Marsden, 16, was found in an alleyway off Kirby Road, South Shore, at 21:15 GMT on Thursday.
A post-mortem examination found she died as a result of significant stab wounds to the head and face.
A 22-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder remains in police custody.
A 20-year-old woman also arrested on suspicion of murder has been released without charge.
Lancashire police said Miss Marsden's family had been given the post-mortem results and specially trained officers were continuing to support them.
The force has said it was believed to be an isolated incident and that there was no risk to the public, but patrols have been stepped up in the area.
Specialist crime scene investigators carried out forensic searches in the alleyway on Friday and at the Grafton House bed-and-breakfast hotel on the same road.
Miss Marsden lived with her parents in the Staining area of Blackpool and was studying childcare at Blackpool and The Fylde College.
Mandy Pritchard, head of the college's school for society, health and childhood, said she was "a friendly, considerate individual who cared about her fellow students".
Tributes have also been paid on a Facebook site set up in her memory.


Ghana has successfully launched its first satellite into space.

GhanaSat-1, which was developed by students at All Nations University in Koforidua, was sent into orbit from the International Space Centre.
Cheers erupted as 400 people, including the engineers, gathered in the southern Ghanaian city to watch live pictures of the launch. The first signal was received shortly afterwards.
It is the culmination of a two-year project, costing $50,000 (£40,000).
It received support from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The satellite will be used to monitor Ghana's coastline for mapping purposes, and to build capacity in space science and technology.
Project coordinator Dr Richard Damoah said it marked a new beginning for the country.
"It has opened the door for us to do a lot of activities from space," he told the BBC.
He said it would "also help us train the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around our region.
"For instance, [monitoring] illegal mining is one of the things we are looking to accomplish."


An Indian woman faces being separated from her two children who are pupils at a Highlands primary school because of an issue with her visa.

Gloria Macleod, who is married to a Scot working in Dubai, faces deportation from the UK on Saturday.
The Macleods set up a family home in Dingwall in July and the couple's children attend a local school.
The Home Office says she does not have the correct visa, but is considering representations related to her case.
Ian Blackford, SNP MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber, is in talks with the Home Office about Mrs Macleod's situation, which would see her daughters left in the care of elderly grandparents if she is deported.
Mrs Macleod is an Indian passport holder whose husband Robert was born and brought up in Dingwall, but currently works in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In July, the couple and their children Siobhan, 11, and Meaghan, 10, who are British citizens, travelled from UAE to Scotland to set up a family home in Dingwall.
The children were enrolled in a local school.
Mrs Macleod holds a UK C - visit passport. It was issued by the British Consulate in Abu Dhabi in December 2009 and valid for 10 years.
To allow her to stay with her children in Dingwall, Mrs Macleod and her husband made an application to stay in the UK while Mr Macleod continued to work in Dubai.
Mr Blackford said the Macleods were advised by the Visa Office, acting on behalf of the UK Immigration Service, that this application had to be lodged in person in Dubai after which she would be able to return to the UK.
However, the MP said that on her recent return, after lodging the appropriate application as advised, she was refused entry to the UK.
Mr Blackford said that this refusal was despite her having a pending application for an entry clearance to care for her children and holding a valid visa.
Mrs Macleod was granted temporary admission, on condition that she is deported to Dubai on 1 October.
Mr Blackford said: "The family clearly want to live in Mr Macleod's home town and he intends to return at every opportunity to be with his wife and daughters.
"He has a good job in Dubai and it is quite understandable that he wants to continue with this to support his family."
A Home Office spokesman said: "A visitor visa cannot be used to enter the UK for the purpose of permanent residence.
"It is the responsibility of those seeking to enter the country to ensure they hold the correct type of visa.
"Mrs Macleod was granted temporary admission to the UK and we are considering further representations in relation to her case."


Leeds United have signed teenage twins Jack and Paul McKay from Doncaster Rovers for undisclosed fees.

The Glasgow-born pair, both 19, have penned two-and-a-half-year deals and will play initially for the Under-21s.
Striker Jack, has played four league games for Doncaster, while central defender Paul has made one appearance in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.
"It's a massive club. As soon as I heard Leeds wanted to bring us here, I said 'yes' straight away," Jack said.
"I've played with my brother for a long time and we know each other's game well," he told the club website.
"It works especially well with him being at the back and me being up front. I can make runs and I don't even have to call for the ball from him.
"He knows how I play and I know how to make runs for him. He knows where I'll be."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Oil prices have been volatile again, hit by continuing oversupply, the strong dollar and weak global demand.

Some members of the Opec group of oil producers are calling for an emergency meeting to discuss reducing output.
Opec president Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu said an extraordinary meeting could be held  in "early March".
On Tuesday, Brent Crude fell as low as $30.44 per barrel before recovering to trade 25 cents, or 0.8%, higher at $31.80 per barrel.
Meanwhile the US benchmark contract, West Texas Intermediate was 9 cents, or 0.3%, higher at $31.50 per barrel.
Oil prices have already fallen 20% since the start of the year and are close to levels not seen since 2003.
Opec members are not due to meet until June, having previously met in December, but the deterioration in the oil price has prompted calls from several members for a fresh review of quotas.
"We did say that if it (the price) hits the $35 per barrel, we will begin to look (at)... an extraordinary meeting," said Mr Kachikwu, who is also Nigerian minister of state for petroleum resources.
He said that "a couple" of countries had been pushing for a meeting, but would not say which those were.
Much will depend on Saudi Arabia, which has resisted calls to cut production.
"Saudi Arabia has never held the position that it does not want to talk. In fact, it was very supportive of a meeting before June, at the time when we held the December meeting, if (there was a) consensus call for it," the Opec president said.
Saudi Arabia is keen to maintain market share even in a declining oil price environment.
But the lower oil price is hurting smaller oil producing nations, such as Nigeria, Algeria and Venezuela, which are all suffering heavily as the price of oil is no longer high enough to cover the cost of production.
Lower oil prices have also had an impact on Saudi Arabia.
It announced a budget deficit nearing $100bn (Â£68.4bn) for last year prompting tax hikes within the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia also said it was considering listing state oil company Saudi Aramco on the stock market, in an effort to raise cash.
"The near-term outlook for the oil market is bleak," said market analysts Jefferies.
"Opec is producing flat-out into a market that is oversupplied by over one million barrels per day; already decelerating demand growth could further decay with slowing economic activity; and OECD inventories that are already at record levels are likely to expand through at least the middle of the year."
Oil is so oversupplied globally that countries are running out of storage.
The US, which is thought to have among the largest oil storage facilities in the world, has nowhere left to store it, according to Paul Stevens, professor emeritus at the University of Dundee and a Middle East specialist.
"Storage is pretty much full and people are already talking about buying tankers as floating storage," he said.
"But if supply continues to outstrip demand, then the only thing that you can do with the oil is sell it, which inevitably pushes the price down."
Oystein Berentsen, managing director of crude oil at trading company Strong Petroleum cited the strong dollar as a factor in falling oil prices, although he added that the basic price driver was oversupply.
"Once the crude surplus turns into a product surplus and we start running out of storage capacity, there will be even more pressure on prices and an imminent collapse," he added.
Oil prices have fallen by about 70% in the past 18 months, as supply has outstripped demand. The demand for oil from China has fallen as its economic growth has slowed. Meanwhile supply has increased, partly due to the influx of US shale oil. In addition, the world's largest exporter of oil, Saudi Arabia, has refused to cut production - something it has done previously to support oil prices. Analysts estimate that, at present, about one million barrels of oil are being produced above demand each day.
Consumers and some businesses have benefitted from lower oil prices. UK motorists have seen the price of petrol and diesel fall from about Â£1.40 a litre 18 months ago to about Â£1 now. Haulage firms and airlines should also be benefitting from cheaper fuel. The lower fuel costs have also helped to keep inflation close to zero in many countries
Oil exporting nations that rely on a higher oil price to break even are suffering, such as Russia, Nigeria and Venezuela, as are oil firms generally. There have been thousands of job losses in the North Sea's oil industry. Investment in exploration has also been cut by big oil firms such as Shell, BP, Total and Exxon Mobil.


More homes were sold in the UK in August than in any month since February last year, figures show.

The seasonally-adjusted data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) show that 106,480 homes were sold during the month.
It is the third month in a row that sales of more than 100,000 were recorded.
The total is still well below monthly sales of nearly 150,000 seen during the housing boom in 2006.
The latest official figures showed that UK house prices rose by 5.2% in the year to the end of July. This is well above the level of prices in general, with CPI inflation standing at zero in August.
"Despite rising prices, buyers and sellers are able to transact," said housing commentator Henry Pryor.
"Look out for the increasing impact of cash buyers in the months to come.
"Figures from mortgage lenders suggest that around 40% of all homes today are bought without a mortgage leaving the government unable to dampen house prices as they once did - by raising rates.
"As we saw last December, the chancellor now reaches for other levers to control the excesses of the market. He had almost snuffed out the top end of the market with huge changes made to Stamp Duty Land Tax, making buying the most expensive homes very unattractive."
Peter Rollings, chief executive of Marsh & Parsons estate agents, suggested that rising demand matched with a lack of supply would result in house prices continuing to increase, particularly in London.


Dramatic footage has been filmed of a man jumping on a moving car and punching the windscreen in a rage.

The man can be seen jumping onto a car bonnet in Leicester city centre and shouting at the driver, before the driver continues to drive.
Onlookers said the man then jumped off and began punching other cars.
Leicestershire Police said a man had been arrested for criminal damage and assault, and was treated at hospital for his injuries.
The drama unfolded along Burleys Way, close to the junction with St Margaret's Way, at about 17:50 on Thursday.
More updates on this story
BBC reporter Amy Woodfield, who recorded the footage as a passenger in another car, said: "I don't know what caused the drama. He was furious.
"He was possibly a pedestrian or running because he was in running gear.
"He started approaching other cars as well and I started to get a bit scared that he might jump on our car.
"You could see the blood dripping from his hand and knee and he was grinning as he was walking around."
The force said the arrested man remained in police custody.


Martina Navratilova has criticised the "silence" of the International Tennis Federation after comments from one of its members about the Williams sisters.

Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpischev described world number one Serena Williams and older sister Venus as "brothers".
The Women's Tennis Association banned him for a year and fined him £15,500 but Navratilova wants ITF action.
"The silence from the ITF has been pretty deafening," Navratilova said.
"They are the ones who actually have the possibility of doing something as Tarpischev is head of the Russian Tennis Federation, which falls under the ITF and is also Fed Cup captain which falls under the ITF.
"This kind of bullying comment cannot be tolerated from anyone, but particularly from a high-up official in the tennis world."
Tarpischev, also an International Olympic Committee member, offered an apology on Saturday at the behest of the WTA, whose chief executive Stacy Allaster said the comments were "insulting, demeaning and have absolutely no place on our sport".
Serena Williams, winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, has also won 13 Grand Slam doubles events with her sister and described the comments by Tarpischev as "very insensitive and extremely sexist as well as racist".
ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said: "Although Mr Tarpischev assured us that his comment was meant as a joke, we made it clear to him that what he said is inappropriate in any context.
"We hope that his acceptance of fault in this matter, which includes the penalty assessed by the WTA Tour, will allow all of us to move forward."


Merseyrail has been denied an injunction to prevent Monday's strike action by members of the RMT union.

The union, which represents transport workers, is fighting plans to bring in more driver-only-operated (DOO) trains, which it says could comprise safety.
Merseyrail claimed the RMT's dispute is with Merseytravel as the decision to use DOO trains was taken by local councillors rather than the rail firm.
But their case was rejected by judges sitting at the High Court in London.
Confirming the strike action will go ahead, RMT general secretary Mick Cash said he was pleased with "an important victory for the union".
He said it was "frankly ludicrous that Merseyrail have been wasting important time and money on bogus legal challenges".
"They should have been sat round the table with the union negotiating a safe and sustainable settlement to this dispute which gives the travelling public the guarantee of a guard on their trains," he said.
The union is planning a 24-hour walkout over a new fleet of trains due to come into service in 2020.
Merseyrail said it had "argued to the High Court that decisions about... the DOO [trains] were taken by councillors in December and that Merseyrail had no choice but to implement these plans".
The spokesman added: "As such, the RMT's dispute is with Merseytravel and not Merseyrail.
"We are doing all we can to provide a service on Monday which will be as comprehensive as possible, under the circumstances."
Meanwhile, Merseytravel which lets out the concession for the Merseyrail network, said such legal challenges ahead of industrial action were "not unusual".
It added the injunction was "a matter for Merseyrail as employer of those staff represented by the RMT".
RMT members on Northern and Southern are also due to strike on Monday in similar disputes.
Merseyrail said it was altering services and running a reduced service during the planned industrial action, as are Northern and Southern rail operators.


On Monday Spain's Princess Cristina will become the first member of the country's royal family to be put on trial.

King Felipe's sister faces tax fraud charges as part of an alleged embezzlement scam involving her husband and 16 other defendants, who all deny the charges.
In the courtroom in Palma, Majorca, the princess will be accused of being an accomplice to tax fraud, along with her husband Inaki Urdangarin. His supposedly non-profit company was allegedly used as a vehicle to win falsely inflated contracts from regional government bodies, before channelling the money to personal accounts via tax havens.
The amount of public funds paid to Urdangarin's Noos Institute has been calculated at €5.6m (£4.1m; $6.07m).
Princess Cristina, 50, was a board member at the charitable Noos sports foundation and, with Mr Urdangarin, co-owned a real estate company called Aizoon, which prosecutors say was used to launder embezzled funds.
In full: Why Princess Cristina is in court
The case was launched in 2010 by a judge investigating corruption among Balearic Islands officials. It has become highly symbolic of perceived corruption among Spain's elites, including the royal family.
After the premises of the Noos Institute were raided by police in late 2011, the royal household moved quickly to isolate Mr Urdangarin, banning him from public appearances.
But the monarchy's popularity continued to suffer after then-King Juan Carlos was revealed to have broken his hip on a secret elephant-hunting trip to Botswana the following April.
Juan Carlos abdicated in June 2014.
His son King Felipe VI has sought to distance the crown from any further fallout from the corruption case, stripping Cristina of her title of Duchess of Palma, after it was confirmed last year that she would have to stand trial.
Princess Cristina, however, has so far refused to renounce her right to succession and remains sixth in line to the Spanish throne.
Spending Christmas with Mr Urdangarin and their four children in Geneva, where the couple moved in 2013, the princess is reported to be upset at her brother's cold treatment.
"It is very hard to be abandoned by your family," she was quoted as saying in the online publication El Espanol by the journalist Ana Romero, a respected royal observer whose book about King Juan Carlos's abdication, Final de Partida (End of the Game), has become a bestseller in Spain.
But a judicial process that has already seen many twists and turns may still provide one more which could prevent the princess from being judged.
Unlike Mr Urdangarin, Cristina is accused only by a private prosecution brought by an obscure right-wing trade union.
Public prosecutors argued that the 50-year-old princess was not aware she was helping her husband to launder money and avoid paying tax. But the investigating judge agreed with the union Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) that she should face trial on two counts of tax fraud relating to 2007 and 2008.
The union is asking for the royal to be jailed for an improbable eight years.
However, the princess's defence team will ask the trial judges on Monday that their client be acquitted, under a legal principle which allows a defendant to walk free if they are only accused by private prosecutors and not the state.
The princess's lawyer, Miquel Roca, said this week he was "totally confident" that Princess Cristina would not have to go through with the trial.
Monday will see all of the 18 accused enter court, but the session will be given over to technical issues, with testimony and cross-examinations expected to start in February.
It has emerged that the princess will be seated at one end of the third and final row of accused, right next to the area reserved for the media.
She was already the object of a media frenzy when having to attend a Majorca courthouse to testify before the investigating judge in 2014.
The courtroom, actually a converted classroom in a civil service academy, will also have space for 36 members of the public. The trial is due to end on 30 June.


Nato's secretary general says the summit in Wales will be "historic" and provide a positive economic impact to Wales.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it was the biggest Nato summit and would benefit the nation as a whole.
It was taking place when Russia's "illegal military actions" in Ukraine had "dramatically changed" Europe's security, he said.
Barack Obama will join world leaders at the September summit at Celtic Manor.
Mr Rasmussen told BBC Sunday Politics Wales said: "There's a lot of positive economic spin-off from such an event. [There will be] more than 50 nations and they all bring bigger or smaller delegations so you will see thousands and thousands of people going to Wales.
"Of course, there is the very positive economic spin-off, but you shouldn't underestimate the public relations aspect of this event - it's the biggest event ever in Nato's history and will be broadcast all over the world."
"This will be an historic summit. We will take very important decisions regarding Nato's future, so for many many years to come this will be remembered as The Wales Summit and this will give a lot of positive public relations effect."
He said Nato had enhanced its policing of air space and had deployed naval vessels to the Baltic and Black Seas following Russia's action in Ukraine.
"We conduct exercises on the ground and we will not hesitate to take further steps if necessary to ensure continued effective defence and protection of our allies.
"We have tried to develop a partnership with Russia, but apparently Russia considers us not a partner but an adversary and of course we have to adapt to that."
Mr Rasmussen would not be drawn on what would happen if Scotland decided to leave the UK as a result of September's independence referendum.
"I'm definitely not going to interfere with domestic British politics. It's a hypothetical situation so we haven't discussed it.
"If the Scottish people were to decide on independence, and if an independent Scotland were to apply for membership of NATO, that would be addressed exactly like applications from other nations."
The secretary general also paid tribute to the British service men and women - many from Wales - who have lost their lives in Afghanistan.
"They have really made a difference in Afghanistan," he said.
"Their sacrifice has not been in vain. On the contrary, we have a better security situation. "
He said it was important that Nato did not leave behind a security vacuum in Afghanistan.
Sunday Politics is on BBC 1 Wales at 11:00 BST on Sunday.


The reserve goalkeeper who let in 22 goals against a Russian side says he still hopes to get into his first team.

Non-league side Cheadle Town were beaten 22-0 by Russia U19s at the weekend.
So their keeper Stephen Piggott was left with more grazes than usual.
"We thought they'd be a good team. Because Russia is such a big country, obviously it's the best of the best of that age group," he says.
"You could see the quality they had, well organised, fit. They had loads of coaches with them as well so you know they're being well trained.
"We only train twice a week, once a week if we've got a game."
The club tweeted all of the action, including when they won a corner.
"Just to be up the other end of the field I think was a good thing for us, to keep it away from our goal for a bit."
Despite picking the ball out of the net 22 times, Stephen still hopes he impressed.
"I'd like to think I made seven, eight, or nine great saves on Sunday. Hopefully the manager would have seen that and I can get back into the first team.
"Twenty-one out of the 22 goals were pretty much tap-ins for them.
Stephen says the half-time team talk was still positive, despite being 9-0 down.
"Just keep your heads up and keep trying to play football," he says they were told. "We knew they were going to be good and it was just nice to play in a game like that.
"I don't think it was humiliating, I think the side they had out would have given some championship sides a game. I think one of their lads played for Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League."
Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube


David Cameron has vowed to devote much of his time in office to "an all-out assault on poverty", in his speech to the Conservative Party conference.

The prime minister, who will stand down before the next election, said he wanted to tackle "deep social problems" and boost social mobility.
He also announced "dramatic" planning reforms to increase home ownership.
And he launched a broadside at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, accusing him of having a "Britain-hating ideology".
Mr Cameron said he wanted his time in power to be remembered as a "defining decade for our country.. the turnaround decade... one which people will look back on and say, 'that's the time when the tide turned… when people no longer felt the current going against them, but working with them'."
He also:
In his speech, Mr Cameron appealed to the centre ground of British politics, with a long section on equality, and said the Conservatives would "keep our head as Labour lose theirs".
Britain has the lowest social mobility in the developed world, Mr Cameron said.
"Here, the salary you earn is more linked to what your father got paid than in any other major country," he said.
"I'm sorry, for us Conservatives, the party of aspiration, we cannot accept that."
He got a standing ovation from Conservative members for a strongly-worded attack on Jeremy Corbyn, telling them: "We cannot let that man inflict his security-threatening, terrorist sympathising, Britain-hating ideology on the country we love."
The PM referenced remarks made by Mr Corbyn in 2011 about the death of Osama Bin Laden, when he said it was a "tragedy" the al-Qaeda chief was killed rather than being put on trial.
Mr Corbyn had gone on to describe the attack on the World Trade Centre, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the death of Bin Laden as tragedies, arguing "the solution has got to be law not war".
The PM accused Labour of giving up "any sensible, reasonable, rational arguments on the economy".
"It's not just that their arguments are wrong, it's the self-righteous way they make them," he said, adding: "Labour ideas don't help the poor, they hurt the poor."
Labour responded to the attacks by saying they were "a sure sign" the PM was "rattled" by Labour.
'Project Camborne', for this is the plan of George Osborne as well as David Cameron, is well and truly under way.
Occupy the Labour Party's former ground while it is consumed by its own issues and moving to the left.
David Cameron made promises on equality, poverty, improving the lives of children in care, getting rid of discrimination in all its forms from the platform today. There were profound echoes of his early "compassionate conservatism".
It is impossible to imagine that at a Conservative conference a decade ago the audience would have leapt to its feet to applaud the idea of equality, yet that's what has just happened in Manchester.
It is possible however to imagine a different leader, Tony Blair, giving a very similar speech in that same era.
Read the rest of Laura's blog
Mr Cameron vowed to press ahead with replacing Britain's nuclear weapons - another announcement that went down well with Tory delegates.
And he devoted a significant section of his speech to tackling "discrimination" against gay people and ethnic minorities - pointing out how CVs with white-sounding names got a better response - saying "you cannot have true opportunity without equality".
He vowed to tackle "extremism in all its forms, the violent and the non-violent" and end "segregation," telling madrassas and other faith schools that children should be "having their minds opened, their horizons broadened" rather than being taught "not to mix with people of other religions".
He also addressed criticism of his response to the Syrian refugee crisis, saying: "If we opened the door to every refugee, our country would be overwhelmed."
He hailed justice secretary Michael Gove's plans to reform the prison system to reduce re-offending - and announced a relaxation of planning rules to boost home ownership.
"When a generation of hard-working men and women in their 20s and 30s are waking up each morning in their childhood bedrooms - that should be a wake-up call for us," Mr Cameron told the audience.
Under the plans, builders in England will no longer be forced to offer low-cost rented homes in new developments.
Instead they will be able to offer "starter homes" for first-time buyers under 40 as well, at discounted prices.
The price of the "starter homes" after the discount is applied will be capped at £250,000 and £450,000 in London - and those who buy them will be prevented from selling them for a quick profit under the new policy, which aides say will provide 200,000 new homes by 2020.
Buyers will be prevented from selling them on for up to five years.
Fears the latest extension of the scheme would simply lead to a boom in "buy-to-let" properties were dismissed by Mr Cameron's aides, who said first-time buyers would not be able to get the kind of mortgage needed for property speculation.
But the chief executive of homelessness charity Shelter, Campbell Robb, said the announcement meant starter homes costing up to £450,000 would be built "at the expense of the genuinely affordable homes this country desperately needs".
Reacting to Mr Cameron's speech, SNP deputy leader Stewart Hosie said the PM's policies were "hurting the very people he professes to be helping", pointing to government plans to cut tax credits.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron said Mr Cameron was "a seasoned PR man" whose "11th-hour conversion to social justice will fool no-one", and UKIP leader Nigel Farage said the PM had said "nothing concrete about the EU".
The Muslim Council of Britain said it was "concerned" by Mr Cameron's comments on madrassas, asking for evidence to back up the "serious allegations".


A Wales netball team will compete in New Zealand's international Super Club competition in July.

A Welsh representative side will take part in Nelson next month and set to join teams from Australia, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago and Fiji.
The eight-team tournament will be held between 2-7 July.
"It is a fantastic opportunity to expose our players to world class international netball," said Welsh Netball chief executive Sarah Jones.
"It is another exciting venture for what has already been a huge year in terms of pushing the boundaries of the sport here in Wales," said Jones.


The opening practice session for the 2016 Festival of Motorcycling, which includes the Manx Grand Prix and Classic TT, will be held on Monday.

The session had been scheduled for Saturday but was abandoned due to poor weather around the Isle of Man's Mountain Course.
Several TT winners including John McGuinness and Michael Dunlop are set to compete over the next fortnight.
The first races of this year's festival will take place on Saturday.
Roads are scheduled to close at 18:00 BST around the Mountain Course for Monday evening's session, which will start with a speed-controlled lap for newcomers.
Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson said further rain is expected to affect Tuesday night's session.
Mr Thompson thanked all the marshals who have committed to officiating following an urgent appeal for registrations in the lead up to the event.
According to the Manx government the two-week Festival of Motorcycling now contributes more than £6m to the island's economy.


Suncream, cold remedies and gluten-free food may no longer be available on the NHS in England under a crackdown on "low value" medicines.

NHS England announced a review after local health bosses identified £400m of spending they believe has little or no clinical value.
It also includes some types of pain relief and travel vaccines.
The proposals could see an outright ban or tighter restrictions on some products being prescribed by GPs.
An initial list of 10 products has been drawn up by NHS Clinical Commissioners, which represents local health managers who are in charge of budgets.
A number of them are available over-the-counter at a lower price than the cost to the NHS of prescribing them or include drugs for which there are more effective or cheaper alternatives.
Evidence submitted to NHS England - and seen by the BBC - argues that the prescribing of gluten-free products dates back to the 1960s when there was not the choice there is now in supermarkets and shops.
Cutting back on prescriptions for the 10 products could save the NHS over £100m a year.
While patients can be charged for prescriptions, the wide range of exemptions mean only one in 10 items handed out are paid for by individuals.
Source: NHS Clinical Commissioners
NHS Clinical Commissioners has also highlighted other products which it wants reviewed once the initial batch of 10 have.
This includes suncream, cough and cold remedies and indigestion and heartburn medicines, which could bring the saving to £400m a year.
That is out of a total bill of over £16bn on medicines once those dispensed by both hospitals and GPs are taken into account.
NHS Clinical Commissioners chief executive Julie Wood said "difficult choices" had to be made given the unprecedented financial and demand challenges facing the NHS.
She said it was important to reduce spending on prescription items that have "little or no clinical value".
But Coeliac UK chief executive Sarah Sleet said she the move was "disappointing", adding not all shops and stores stocked gluten-free products.
"Research shows that budget and convenience stores, which are relied upon by the most vulnerable such as the elderly, those with disabilities and on low incomes, have virtually no provision."
She said not adhering to the diet could lead to serious complications, including osteoporosis.
Gill Nuttall, from skin cancer charity, Melanoma UK, also took issue with the move.
"I speak to melanoma patients every day who are receiving life prolonging treatments in melanoma, some of whom suffer some terrible side effects, including extreme reactions to the sun.
"Sun screen has a very high clinical value to those patients."
She said NHS England should think "very carefully" before restricting suncream prescriptions.
NHS England confirmed the review would begin in April, but did not put any timescale on how quickly a decision would be made.
The news comes ahead of a major announcement by NHS England later this week on the future of the health service.
On Friday Chief executive Simon Stevens will give an update of his five-year strategy which was launched in autumn 2014 and is now half-way through.


US regulators have given the go-ahead to genetically modified salmon, making it the first GM animal destined for human consumption.

The Food and Drug Administration said it had given approval on the grounds that "food from the fish is safe to eat".
The biotech company behind the fish, AquaBounty, first submitted its application almost 20 years ago.
Opponents say consumers do not want to eat genetically engineered seafood.
They have also expressed concern that the salmon could pose risks to other fish if it were to escape into the environment.
Dr Bernadette Dunham of the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine said: "The FDA has thoroughly analysed and evaluated the data and information submitted by AquaBounty Technologies regarding AquAdvantage Salmon and determined that they have met the regulatory requirements for approval, including that food from the fish is safe to eat."
The FDA ruled that the salmon must be raised in tanks on land at only two facilities in Canada and Panama. It will not be bred or raised in the US.
Safety measures include producing fish that are sterile to prevent cross breeding with wild fish "in the highly unlikely event of an escape".
The transgenic salmon is a type of Atlantic salmon injected with a gene from Pacific Chinook salmon to make it grow faster.
Dr Ron Stotish, chief executive of AquaBounty, said the salmon was "a game-changer that brings healthy and nutritious food to consumers in an environmentally responsible manner without damaging the ocean and other marine habitats".
He said the young reach adult size much quicker than conventional fish, making it feasible to raise salmon in tanks on land near urban areas.
However, it is unclear whether retailers will want to sell the salmon and whether the public will want to buy it.
Lisa Archer, food and technology programme director at Friends of the Earth, said despite the FDA's "flawed and irresponsible approval of the first genetically engineered animal for human consumption, it's clear that there is no place in the US market for genetically engineered salmon".
There are also uncertainties over how long it will take for the salmon to be produced in sufficient numbers for marketing.
Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at the University of California, Davis, said this process could take a couple of years.
"Legally it could appear on a food plate tomorrow in the US but you've got to grow your fish and get production in place,"  she said.
"We've had a very long wait to bring a genetically engineered animal to market."
Prof Helen Sang of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh said the approval by the FDA set a precedent.
"It's the first genetically engineered animal for food that's been approved anywhere in the world," she told BBC News.
"There's been a feeling that many companies have been waiting to see if the US will approve GM salmon before going ahead themselves."
However, Dr Joe Perry, former Chair of the European Food Safety Authority GMO Panel, said that if an application were made to raise GM salmon in Europe the risk assessment "would require considerably more data".
"There remain legitimate ecological concerns over the possible consequences if these GM salmon escape to the wild and reproduce, despite FDA assurances over containment and sterility, neither of which can be guaranteed," he said.
The use of genetically engineered animals could revolutionise areas of public health and agriculture, according to advocates. But is the world ready for modified mosquitoes and GM salmon?


A man diagnosed with untreatable bowel cancer has completed six marathons in six months.

Ben Ashworth, 35, from Preston, finished his last race in Berlin.
He started his charity runs in April in Blackpool before running marathons in Windermere, Wakefield, Northampton and the Isle of Man while undergoing chemotherapy.
Mr Ashworth said he was "tremendously happy" to complete the feat and raise more than Â£15,000 for charity.
He finished the Berlin race in four hours 56 minutes, three minutes over his personal best in Ramsey, Isle of Man.
He said: "I really wanted to beat my [personal best] in my last marathon but I'm tremendously happy to have run six and raised so much money."
The former librarian who has three daughters, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012.
Before he became ill he had run the Great North Run, a half-marathon, but said it was his dream to conquer a full marathon.
Earlier this year he decided to set himself the "massive challenge" of running six.
Mr Ashworth said his treatment has made it "very hard at times".
"My preparations for most of the marathons have been less than ideal, but I've not been able to wipe the smile off my face when I've lined up at the start line," he said.
"When I signed up to run the Berlin marathon I didn't know if I would be well enough. I'm so lucky to be able to say I've [done it]."


Britain's Liam Phillips has withdrawn from July's UCI BMX World Championships in the USA after failing to recover from a wrist injury.

The 28-year-old, injured in a crash in February, has been replaced in the British squad by Olympic podium programme rider Tre Whyte.
Last year, the 2013 world champion withdrew from the quarter-finals at the Rio Olympics after a heavy fall.
He said: "This has been a massive blow both physically and mentally."
Phillips, a two-time Olympian and twice a BMX Supercross World Cup series winner, added: "After the disappointment of Rio, I took some time off and got back to work with only one real objective: try to win the World Championships and wear the rainbow jersey again.
"My long term health is of the upmost importance and I'll continue working hard to ensure these injuries keep me off the bike for the shortest time possible."
The World Championships are from 25-29 July in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Grant White, British Cycling's podium BMX coach, said: "It's disappointing for Liam that he has had to withdraw from these World Championships because of injury, but his health needs to be his priority.
"Tre now has an opportunity to race again at World Championship level and he is working hard to ensure he takes maximum advantage of this opportunity in Rock Hill."


Malawi's ex-justice minister has been given a 13-year jail term for conspiracy to murder a civil servant, in a crime believed to be linked to a multi-million dollar corruption ring.

Raphael Kasambara was sentenced for his role in the attempted murder of ex-National Budget Director Paul Mphwiyo.
Mr Mphwiyo's shooting in 2013 is believed to have exposed Malawi's worst financial scandal, known as "cashgate".
Up to $250m (Â£150m) was estimated to have been lost in the fraud.
The money was lost through allegedly fraudulent payments to businessmen for services that never materialised.
The systematic plundering of public resources occurred between 2012 and 2014 during the administration of then-President Joyce Banda,
Malawi's donors then withheld $150m following the scandal's disclosure.
Kasambara suggested after his conviction last month that he would appeal the verdict.
Mr Mphwiyo, who was the budget director in the finance ministry, was flown to South Africa for medical treatment after he was shot.
He recovered and testified at Kasambara's trial.


Controversial plans to build 366 news homes in Gwynedd could go through after the rural affairs secretary said she was "minded to" allow the development.

Developer Morbaine wants to build the houses at Pen y Ffridd in Penrhosgarnedd, Bangor.
Gwynedd councillors rejected the plan over fears it could impact on the Welsh language, traffic and schools.
But Lesley Griffiths has written to the developer, saying she was minded to allow an appeal.
Welsh language campaigners, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, called it a "disgrace" and said Ms Griffiths was failing to "consider the language in a planning matter".
The Welsh Government, in a statement, said: "The cabinet secretary has written to the applicant advising she is minded to allow the appeal but subject to further information relating to the Unilateral Undertaking.
"This letter does not constitute a decision. Once the information is received the cabinet secretary will then issue a decision letter."


Jarlinson Pantano won stage 15 of the Tour de France as defending champion Chris Froome kept the yellow jersey.

Froome was over three minutes behind the winner on the mountainous 160km stage from Bourg-en-Bresse to Culoz, but finished alongside his main rivals.
Colombian Pantano (IAM Cycling) outsprinted Poland's Rafal Majka to claim his maiden Grand Tour stage win.
Dutchman Bauke Mollema and Briton Adam Yates finished in the peloton to stay second and third overall.
Movistar's Nairo Quintana, fourth in the general classification and two minutes 29 seconds behind Froome, is the man most likely to make a move for the yellow jersey, but he showed few signs of attacking in the Jura Mountains.
With six categorised climbs, including two up the physically testing Grand Colombier, there would have been chances for rivals to try and surprise 2013 and 2015 champion Froome.
But the peloton remained mainly passive, and what few efforts there were to catch out the 31-year-old - one from the Astana team and a solo effort by Romain Bardet - were quickly shut down by the tireless work of Team Sky colleague Wout Poels.
Even after Froome lost the support of team-mate Geraint Thomas on the first climb up Grand Colombier, with the Welshman suffering a puncture, he was barely threatened.
It will now take something special to unseat Briton Froome, who leads his closest rival Mollema by one minute 47 seconds.
"I was surprised that we weren't more attacked out there," said Froome.
"I really thought today's stage was a perfect opportunity for the other teams to put us under pressure, especially with Geraint getting a puncture on the second last climb out there - we were one man down."
There have been rumours that 26-year-old Quintana, twice runner-up in the Tour to Froome, has been suffering from illness, but he will need to carve out opportunities when the race moves into the Alps from stage 17.
Pantano, 27, was the last man standing from an early break that was whittled down from an initial cast of 30 riders.
Tinkoff's Majka, who took ownership of the king of the mountains jersey, was persistently at the front and was leading on his own during the second descent of Grand Colombier - a mountain making only its second Tour appearance - but was caught by Pantano on the way down.
"This is the last chance for the sprinters before we get to Paris because four days in the Alps follow"
Read Geraint's preview of stage 16
The pair held off a late surge from Alexis Vuillermoz and Sebastien Reichenbach, before Pantano sprinted to a first stage win for a Colombian since Quintana's victory on the penultimate day in 2013.
It was also a first stage win in the Tour de France for the IAM Cycling team, giving them a standout moment before they fold at the end of the season because of a lack of a secondary sponsor.
"This is incredible. It's a dream come true," Pantano said. "I came to the Tour de France for that, but I didn't believe it could happen. I'm very happy."
Stage 15 result
1.  Jarlinson Pantano (Col/IAM Cycling) 4hrs 24mins 49secs
2.  Rafal Majka (Pol/Tinkoff) same time
3.  Alexis Vuillermoz (Fra/AG2R) +6secs
4.  Sebastien Reichenbach (Swi/FDJ) same time
5.  Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/ Etixx - Quick-Step) +22secs
6.  Serge Pauwels (Bel/Dimension Data) +25secs
7.  Pierre Rolland (Fra/Cannondale) same time
8.  Ilnur Zakarin (Rus/Katusha) +1mins 30secs
9.  Daniel Navarro (Spa/Cofidis) same time
10. Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned/Cannondale) +2mins 8secs
General classification after stage 15
1.  Chris Froome (GB/Team Sky) 68hrs 14mins 36secs
2.  Bauke Mollema (Ned/Trek) +1mins 47secs
3.  Adam Yates (GB/Orica) +2mins 45secs
4.  Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +2mins 59secs
5.  Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +3mins 17secs
6.  Romain Bardet (Fra/AG2R) +4mins 4secs
7.  Richie Porte (Aus/BMC Racing) +4mins 27secs
8.  Tejay van Garderen (US/BMC Racing) +4mins 47secs
9.  Daniel Martin (Ire/Etixx - Quick-Step) +5mins 3secs
10. Fabio Aru (Ita/Astana) +5mins 16secs


Ex-CIA Director David Petraeus has told the BBC that Islamic State militants can only be defeated through a dual military and political approach.

"Industrial-strength" extremists cannot be dealt with "just with force of arms", he said in a rare interview.
During the Iraq war, Mr Petraeus devised the strategy that saw a "surge" in US troop numbers and secured support from Sunni tribesmen against al-Qaeda.
Iraq's US-backed army is now battling to retake territory seized by IS.
Gen Petraeus described the group as "a formidable enemy".
"It is really a conventional army that also has elements of an insurgency, and indeed significant terrorist elements as well," he said.
But when asked to compare IS with its predecessor, al-Qaeda in Iraq - which Gen Petraeus was instrumental in defeating - he said the latter "had much greater roots in Iraq and much greater numbers than IS".
The retired general characterised the recent capture by IS of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, as "a strategic loss in the sense that the narrative of IS being on the defensive - of losing - was shown to be somewhat hollow".
"I do think Ramadi will be retaken in a matter of weeks or less," he added.
"But this was a big setback. At such a time, one has to look at the strategy, at refinements that need to be made, at efforts that need to be augmented, and I know that's what's going on right now."
1974: Graduates from West Point US military academy, joining the army
2007: Leads US troop surge during Iraq conflict
2008: Head of US Central Command
2010: Nato commander in Afghanistan
Mid-2011: Leaves military to become CIA director
November 2012: Resigns over affair
After commanding international troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gen Petraeus became head of the CIA but was forced to stand down in 2012, following revelations of an extra-marital affair.
Subsequent allegations that he provided classified information to his mistress while he was CIA director led him to plead guilty to one misdemeanour charge.
But despite the turbulence of his private life, Gen Petraeus remains one of the heroes of America's controversial military operations of recent years.
He was the architect of the "surge" in Iraq that deployed more US troops, but equally important, got them out of their defended compounds to create security at a local level.
He also greatly expanded the Anbar Awakening, the mobilisation of Sunni tribesmen to combat al-Qaeda.
Not surprisingly in the wake of the recent setbacks in Iraq, his views are being canvassed by the White House, the Pentagon, and on Capitol Hill.
The keynote of the Petraeus approach today is as it always was - the need for the political and military aspects of strategy to march closely in step.
"You cannot deal with an industrial-strength extremist problem just with force of arms," he said.  "You have to have that political component as well."
Political change has to start at the top. Above all, Gen Petraeus says, "the Sunni Arabs have to be given incentives to support the new Iraq rather than to oppose it".
As to the fundamental question - can the Iraqi military actually win against Islamic State? - he has few doubts.
"During the surge and in the years after the surge, Iraqi forces fought and died for their country at vastly higher numbers than did US and coalition forces. We know that they can fight," he insists.
"We know that they will fight. But they will only fight if they have good leadership, and the support and knowledge that somebody will have their back if they get into a tough fight."
That looks like requiring greater US involvement closer to the frontline. Gen Petraeus is reluctant to give details.
"Should there be US advisors with Iraqi forces below the divisional  level?" he asks. "Should there be joint teams of tactical air controllers on the ground with security and other assets to support them?
"Does there need to be an augmentation of the train-and-equip effort? Can we accelerate the delivery of some of the equipment that Iraq so desperately needs?"
It sounds like the elements of a blueprint for a re-invigorated US effort. But then again - typical Petraeus - there is the political dimension.
"Are we doing all that we can to empower and support those Iraqi leaders, starting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who recognise the need to bring the Sunni Arab population back into the fabric of Iraqi society? And, most importantly, are our military elements and structures sufficiently supporting the political component and vice versa?"
In response to my comment that all this could have been said a year ago - Gen Petraeus responded by saying that he did indeed say it all a year ago. This is not about re-inventing the wheel.
"We need to see the same elements of this (previous) comprehensive civil-military counter- insurgency campaign, albeit today with the Iraqis playing the key roles, enabled by the Americans."
Gen Petraeus acknowledges the difficulties of grappling with the horrors in Syria but insists that the only way forward is to train and equip moderate opposition elements. He says that more such fighters will spring up once the programme gets under way.
And he is very cautious about any Iranian role in combating IS. He insists Iran remains a revolutionary power in the region.
"This is a country that has made progress because of chaos. It has both benefited from chaos and fomented chaos to try to achieve regional hegemony," he says.
So he believes that "while there can indeed be some coincidence of interest between the US, its coalition allies in the region and Iran in terms of the defeat of IS (...) the over-arching context is one that gives you reason to have considerable caution in how you go forward in the relationship with Iran".
Gen Petraeus still travels to Iraq regularly. He knows the key players well. And though out of uniform and established in a civilian career as an adviser, he remains the man who did achieve a kind of success in Iraq.
That is a commodity that is in short supply today for the Americans and the Iraqi authorities. This  makes the Petraeus approach an attractive model.
But the question remains: Can the outcome be the same with the Iraqi military cast in the role of the Americans?


A petition opposing the possible release of a child murderer who was the first to be convicted using DNA, has been launched.

Colin Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for the murder of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, both 15, from Leicestershire.
The petition, started by Rebecca Eastwood, sister of Lynda, has already got more than 4,000 signatures.
A parole review has begun because Pitchfork is nearing the end of his 28 years minimum term, officials said.
He was caught after the world's first mass screening for DNA, in which 5,000 men in the Enderby area were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples.
He initially persuaded a friend to take the test on his behalf but this was later discovered.
Mrs Eastwood said: "Obviously we don't want him to be released because of the crimes he committed, we don't think he deserves that second chance.
"But, there is also the fear he will commit crimes again and I could not live with myself if I did not fight him coming out."
The parole review process involves gathering information from probation staff, prison officers and medical experts, probably leading to an oral hearing.
Before sanctioning a prisoner's release, the parole board has to be sure he or she no longer poses a risk to the public.
The 2009 court hearing which cut his original 30 year tariff was told Pitchfork, now 55, had made "exceptional progress" in prison.


Sir Nicholas Serota is to step down as director of the Tate galleries after nearly 30 years to become chairman of Arts Council England.

He will replace Sir Peter Bazalgette, who was appointed as chairman of ITV earlier this year.
Tate chairman Lord Browne described Sir Nicholas as "one of the world's greatest museum directors".
Sir Nicholas, who has transformed the success of the Tate, said the role had been an "exciting challenge".
He will formally take over the new post in February but is to continue as director of the Tate until later in 2017.
Sir Nicholas, who has been director for 28 years, said: "Over the past 30 years there has been a sea-change in public appreciation of the visual arts in this country. Tate is proud to have played a part in this transformation.
"I leave an institution that has the potential to reach broad audiences across the UK and abroad, through its own programmes, partnerships and online."
Announcing Sir Nicholas's appointment at Arts Council England, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley told the House of Commons he had "a superb pedigree in the arts".
Lord Browne said: "Under his leadership, Tate has become a preeminent cultural organisation nationally and internationally and one of the most visited in the world."
The announcement of Sir Nicholas's departure from the Tate comes in the same week it was revealed that Martin Roth was leaving the Victoria & Albert Museum after five years.
Nicholas Serota's comment about "potential" reflects three aspects to his character: a predisposition not to blow his own trumpet, a relentless drive, and a challenging nature.
He doesn't want the next incumbent to think he or she has an easy ride: there is work to be done. He might be leaving, but he's setting the agenda before he goes.
And who might that person be to come in and realise Tate's "potential"?
The front-runner I reckon is Maria Balshaw, who has done a splendid job as the boss of the Whitworth in Manchester, a role she's coupled with being leader of the city's cultural programme.
Read the rest of Will's analysis on his blog.
Sir Nicholas was born in London in 1946. He studied History of Art at the University of Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute.
He became chairman of the new Young Friends of the Tate in 1969 and worked as a regional officer for the Art Council's visual arts department before being appointed director of the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford in 1973.
In 1976, he became director of the Whitechapel Gallery, where he remained for 12 years.
He was appointed director of the Tate in 1988 - the same year he began chairing the Turner Prize, which was redefined as a showcase for contemporary art under his leadership.
The Turner Prize went on to become the world's preeminent art award and is now held outside London every alternate year. Sir Nicholas stopped chairing the judging panel in 2007.
He oversaw the opening of the Tate Modern on London's South Bank in May 2000 and a renovation of the Tate Britain, located on Millbank, which was completed in 2013. The Tate's family of galleries also includes the Tate Liverpool and the Tate St Ives.
Earlier this year, he oversaw the opening of a new extension to the Tate Modern - a pyramid-like tower called the Switch House, which increased the size of the gallery by 60%. A record number of people visited on the extension's opening weekend.
He has also recently curated a number of high-profile exhibitions, including Donald Judd, Howard Hodgkin, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter and Matisse: The Cut Outs.
In 2014, Sir Nicholas was named the most powerful figure in the art world.
Follow us on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, on Instagram, or if you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.


Royal Mail shares rose 38% to 455p in their first day of conditional dealings on the London Stock Exchange.

The hugely oversubscribed sale was priced at 330p a share, valuing the 500-year-old firm at Â£3.3bn. At one point, the price hit 459.75p.
Private investors received 227 shares each. In all, more than 225 million shares were traded on Friday.
Business Secretary Vince Cable told Channel Four News he could have charged a higher price for Royal Mail shares.
Asked if he could have raised the sale price when he saw the level of demand for shares, Mr Cable said: "I could have done and I could have joined the speculators and spivs.
"I'm not interested in doing that," he said.
The shares are listed officially next Tuesday, but City institutions began conditional dealings on Friday.
Some 10 million shares were traded in the first 30 seconds when the market opened. Stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown reported that its website was having "intermittent problems" due to the "unprecedented interest" in Royal Mail.
Tom McPhail, the firm's head of pensions research, said it was "extremely sorry for the delays", but was making "significant progress in clearing the backlog" and hoped to have all systems running normally again soon.
"We have experienced demand this morning which has gone off the scale," he said.
"We now have six times the normal number of staff working on our dealing lines. We know we are not the only broker affected by such problems this morning."
By Robert PestonBusiness editor
The price rise is likely to fuel debate over whether the sale of Royal Mail has been undervalued. Mr Cable has insisted that the taxpayer has not been short-changed by the privatisation.
But the general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Billy Hayes, described the sell-off as "a tragedy" and predicted that it would make "not one scintilla of difference" to employees' intention to vote for strike action next Wednesday.
Mr Hayes told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "This is a sham, really. The company has been undervalued.
"It's basically David Cameron rewarding his mates in the City. Vince Cable, one of the cleverest men in British politics, has made one of the stupidest decisions he is ever likely to make as a politician."
Mr Cable told the Today programme that the bulk of the shares had gone to "long-term stable investors" in the UK.
He said any volatility in the Royal Mail share price over the next week or so was of little consequence. "What matters is where the price eventually settles in three or six months' time".
Mr Cable said: "You get an enormous amount of froth and speculation in the aftermath of a big IPO [initial public offering] of this kind.
"The bulk of the shares have gone to long-term institutional investors, stable investors, some overseas investors, but mainly British pension funds and insurance companies who are there for the long term.
"The objective of the exercise, which fits in with what we want for the Royal Mail, is to make sure it has stable, long-term investors."
Voting in the strike ballot will close on 16 October. Under the current rules on industrial action, the earliest possible date for a strike is 23 October.
In the flotation prospectus, Royal Mail warned that labour unrest posed a potential risk for the share price.
Mr Cable said a strike was not in the interests of Royal Mail.
City analysts said the price rise was driven by big institutional investors' demand for the stock. Matt Basi, head of UK sales trading at CMC Markets, said investment funds were "queuing up to make big purchases".
Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital, called the surge in Royal Mail shares a "dazzling stock market debut".
But he said factors such as the threat of industrial action, a lack of adequate capital and unclear growth strategy could weigh down the stock price in the future.


To start, a moan: why do the Turner Prize curators write such unintelligible gibberish about the artists shortlisted for the prize?

Where do they go to learn to produce these texts laden with pseudo-academic speak? Does their dense, mangled prose reflect a lack of confidence in the artists whose status and work - the curators' might think - needs to be elevated by arcane, pompous language?
Or, perhaps, it is insecurity about their own place in the "snobby" artworld (as Laurie Anderson described it to me) that leads them to write such nonsense?
To be clear: The purpose of the Turner Prize is to provoke a conversation about contemporary art among the public. The stated role of the Tate is to "increase knowledge, understanding and appreciation of art".
Both objectives are undermined and poorly served by the incomprehensible "artspeak" used by the institution's curators. It is not clever and it is very off-putting.
Here, by way of example, is an explanation of Helen Marten's work:  "Whilst their complex references might not be made immediately explicit to the viewer there is something alchemic in the way the materials collide, and ideas are often communicated through the obstinate wilfulness of the finished form.
"Marten's objects read almost as hieroglyphics, a visual system of communication that is expressive yet rooted in logic, which makes rational the combination of a pickle with an electrical circuit, or a pillar drill alongside a bowl of fish skins."
You get the point, I won't go on - and nor should the curators who wrote the texts, until they've been on a plain-speaking course or locked in a room with a collection of books by masters of writing about art such as Ruskin, Gombrich, Hughes and - for good measure - Bridget Riley.
Okay, onto the shortlist of four artists. All work in variety of media and to mix-n-match, but for simplicity's sake, I think it's fair to say we're talking about three sculptors and a photographer. They are mostly all based in London.
Michael Dean is a 38-year-old sculptor who makes pieces out of concrete and other DIY-type materials. His work tends to be rooted in his interest in language. He is the only male on the list.
Thirty year-old Helen Marten is the youngest of the four. Collage plays a big part in her work. She has a cut-and-paste aesthetic, making sculptures out of combinations of wildly differing elements. They are designed to be awkward, to get you looking at the world afresh. She makes screen-prints, too.
Josephine Pryde is 49 and the oldest artist on the list and the one focused on photography. Although rooted mainly in London, she spends a lot of time in Berlin. Her shtick is staged photographs that mimic the slick, glossy imagery of advertising and fashion.
Anthea Hamilton is a 37-year-old sculptor who makes pieces and installations that explore desire, fetish and pop culture. You might say she's taken up the Meret Oppenheimer's pre-war surrealist vibe via Allen Jones's Clockwork Orange sets.
It's a good list and am I am looking forward to seeing the show when it opens in September.
One thing that struck me when looking at the line-up was how all four artists seem to be more interested in modes of representation - advertising, language, film - than directly in the physical world. A reflection, maybe, on the reality of everyday life in 2016, which is more often than not mediated - and consumed - through a filter of media rather than at first hand.


Derby County have appointed former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson as their manager on a three-year contract.

Pearson, 52, has been out of work since being sacked by Leicester City in June 2015, having taken the Foxes to Premier League safety.
Darren Wassall, who guided the Rams to fifth in the Championship before their play-off semi-final loss to Hull, will return to his role as academy director.
Former Derby left-back Chris Powell will join as Pearson's assistant.
Ex-Carlisle and Southampton manager Pearson was first appointed by Leicester in 2008, and led the club to promotion from League One during his first season in charge.
After losing to Cardiff in the Championship play-offs the following season, he left the Foxes to take over at Hull - only to return to Leicester again less than 18 months later.
Pearson went on to lead them to the Premier League in 2014, but was sacked when relations between him and the club's board were "no longer viable".
The Foxes won seven and drew one of their last 10 games under Pearson to retain their top-flight status, which they went on to top as champions this season.
"Nigel is a proven winner, a highly experienced manager who has track record of success in the Championship," chairman Mel Morris told Derby's website.
"We believe Nigel is the perfect appointment and will build on the solid progress we have made in recent seasons but more importantly, will enable us to achieve our long-term objective of Premier League football."
Despite a spirited second-leg play-off performance against Hull, Derby failed to reach the final and will now spend a ninth consecutive season in the Championship.
They sacked manager Paul Clement in February despite being just five points off top spot, with Wassall taking over until the end of the season.
"Darren is a very talented man, who put his full energy and vigour into the task and we are delighted he will continue to play an important part in the club," added Derby president Sam Rush.
"Nigel is a highly sought-after, talented, manager and I know he will give us absolutely everything to make this club successful. I am excited with what the future holds."


Somerset have signed wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi for the T20 Blast campaign.

The New Zealand international will play five matches as a replacement for Kiwi Corey Anderson, who was injured in the recent Test series against England.
The 34-year-old has scored 263 runs in 15 T20 internationals at an average of 32.87 while he averages 29.45 in ODIs with a highest score of 170 not out.
"Luke is a quality player with plenty of international experience," said director of cricket Matt Maynard.
Ronchi will join Somerset ahead of the T20 Blast match at Middlesex on 26 June.
He will also be available for selection for the home fixtures against Glamorgan (28 June) and Gloucestershire (3 July) and the away games at Kent (10 July) and Surrey (17 July).


Potential giant killings and an Edinburgh derby await this weekend as the Scottish Cup reaches the last 16.

It is a round that has rarely failed to deliver drama and excitement over the years.
Last season Queen of the South ended holders St Johnstone's dream of making it two-in-a-row, Raith Rovers shocked Rangers at Ibrox and Spartans took Berwick Rangers to a replay.
Ahead of Sunday's live game between East Kilbride and Celtic, BBC Scotland takes a look back at six classic last-16 clashes in Scotland's premier cup competition.
Although the second half of the 1960s was to become a happy one for Celtic, in 1962 the team were struggling to get their hands on silverware. After winning the league in 1953/54 they would have to wait 12 years before they would claim it again.
Their luck in the Scottish Cup was not any better. Winners in 1954, they would lose the final four times before finally seeing it in green and white ribbons again in 1965.
Hearts had enjoyed a more profitable few years. League winners in 1958 and 1960, they had also lifted the cup for the fifth time with a 3-1 win over Celtic in 1956. A few months after this game they would win the League Cup, though what they did not know at the time was that would be their lot until 1998.
The Jambos had added incentive having lost that season's League Cup final in a replay to Rangers, and over 35,000 fans packed Tynecastle for the clash with Celtic, with just one point separating them in the league table at the time.
After Bobby Blackwood cancelled out a John Divers opener for Celtic, Johnny Hamilton gave Hearts the lead to set up an enthralling last 20 minutes.
Stevie Chalmers and Divers had Celtic leading again, Danny Paton levelled, but Pat Crerand's late penalty settled it.
Hearts: Marshall, Kirk, Holt, Ferguson, Cumming, Higgins, Rodgers, Wallace, Paton, Blackwood, Hamilton.
Celtic: Haffey, McKay, Kennedy, Crerand, McNeill, Price, Chalmers, Jackson, Hughes, Divers, Carroll.
After playing second fiddle to Aberdeen and Dundee United for much of the 1980s, the Old Firm were back to going head to head at the top of the table, at least for a few years. From Celtic winning the double in 1988, it took a Joe Miller goal in the 1989 Cup final to deny Rangers the treble.
However, in 1989/90 the fortunes differed vastly for both sides. Graeme Souness' Rangers were embarking upon their record equalling nine-in-a-row run of league titles, though another tilt at the treble had been put to bed by a League Cup final defeat to Aberdeen.
Celtic on the other end were to finish a distant fifth, and needed to win the Scottish Cup if they were to avoid the ignominy of failing to qualify for Europe.
Tommy Coyne, at the time a much maligned £500,000 signing from Dundee, was the hero when he pounced on the rebound after goalkeeper Chris Woods parried Joe Miller's shot just before half-time.
Rangers threw everything at Celtic in the second half but could not find a way through. It was a rare high point in a poor season for the Parkhead faithful, and their hopes of making Europe failed when they lost the final on penalties to Aberdeen.
Celtic: Bonner, Morris, Wdowczwk, Galloway, Elliot, Whyte, Grant, McStay, Dziekanowski, Coyne (Walker), Miller.
Rangers: Woods, Stevens, Munro, Ferguson, Spackman, Butcher, Steven, Walters (Vinnicombe) (Dodds), McCoist, Johnston, Brown.
The two sides meet on Sunday in a much anticipated showdown at Tynecastle. For those clad in maroon, though, the 90 minutes will have to go some way to beat the 1994 derby win at Easter Road.
It was the day Hearts celebrated getting the key to the door. It had been 20 derbies - and five years - since the Hibees had managed to beat their capital rivals.
Hearts were 32 years without a trophy. Hibs were smarting from Ally McCoist's overhead kick that settled the season's League Cup final.
John Robertson, so often the hammer of Hibs, opened the scoring in the second minute. But Hibs fought back and Keith Wright had them level.
With four minutes to go and a replay looking likely, Wayne Foster raced onto a long ball, squeezed between two Hibs defenders, and smacked the ball through the goalkeeper's legs.
Hearts went on to make it 22 in a row without defeat against their Edinburgh rivals before their famous run was finally stopped in August that year.
Hibernian: Leighton, Miller, Beaumont, Farrell, Tweed, Lennon, McAllister, Hamilton, Wright (Evans), Jackson, O'Neill.
Hearts: Smith, McLaren, McKinlay, Levein, Berry, Millar, Colquhoun, Mackay, Robertson (Foster), Johnston, Leitch (Weir).
This was the low point of a depressing period for Aberdeen fans. Bottom of the league and fighting to avoid relegation for the first time, club legend Willie Miller had been sacked weeks earlier.
Roy Aitken's first game in charge was a 2-0 win over Rangers. However, six days later and they were brought back down to earth with an incredible bump at Ochilview Park.
Despite the Dons boasting a line-up including internationals Theo Snelders, Eoin Jess, Duncan Shearer and Billy Dodds, it was dairy farmer Tommy Steel who grabbed the only two goals of the game in one of the great Scottish Cup shocks.
Both sides lifted trophies the following season. Aberdeen winning the League Cup against Dundee, and Stenhousemuir humbling Dundee United in the Challenge Cup final.
Stenhousemuir: Harkness, Clarke, Donaldson, Armstrong, McGeachie, Christie, Steel, Fisher, Mathieson, Hutchison, Sprott.
Aberdeen: Snelders, Wright, Glass, Kane, Inglis, Smith, Jess, Shearer, Miller, Dodds, McKinnon.
It was not often that Andy Goram conceded eight goals in a four days, however it was a taxing week for a Steelmen in an otherwise impressive season, where they were strutting their stuff at the top end of the table and only missed out on European qualification by two points.
The other team in Ayrshire, Kilmarnock, had made the journey to Fir Park in midweek and scored four times.
If any extra incentive was needed for the Honest Men when they had their turn, that was it.
The sides shared six goals in a frantic first half; Gary Teale with a double and Neil Tarrent scoring for Ayr, with Lee McCulloch, Don Goodman and Ged Brannan finding the net for the Steelmen.
The question was, could First Division Ayr keep it going for another 45 minutes? They answered that by pegging Motherwell into their own half and taking the lead again before the hour mark through Tarrent, but then had Michael Reynolds sent off just four minutes later.
However, Motherwell could not find an equaliser and Ayr went on to make it as far as the semi-finals.
It was the tie that brought us the "Broony" and a confrontation that still has us asking what Ally McCoist said to Neil Lennon on the touchline.
In the first game at Ibrox both sides finished with 10 men in an enthralling contest. Jamie Ness had the hosts in front within three minutes, but Kris Commons equalised before Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster was sent off as he conceded a penalty, which was scored by Steven Whittaker.
Scott Brown levelled with a curling shot, then turned and taunted nemesis El-Hadji Diouf.
Steven Naismith got a second caution for simulation and the game went to a replay at Celtic Park, which was to be even more controversial.
Rangers had three players sent off as tempers boiled over; Whittaker and Madjid Bougherra, followed by Diouf after the final whistle for a second yellow card - his first coming after squaring up to Celtic manager Lennon.
Mark Wilson's goal settled the game in Celtic's favour, but even at the final whistle the action did not stop, with McCoist and Lennon pulled apart while shaking hands.


Germany's Michael Jung closed in on a £240,000 bonus prize as he secured a dominant lead to take into the final day of Badminton Horse Trials.

The 33-year-old, leading after Friday's dressage, delivered a fault-free cross-country round on his mount La Biosthetique.
Jung won the Burghley and Kentucky titles and is hoping to seal the Rolex Grand Slam to earn the bonus.
Great Britain's challenge faltered, with Emily King eliminated.
She was second overnight but fell riding Brookleigh before Sunday's showjumping finale.
The 20-year-old shone in the dressage to raise hopes of becoming the youngest Badminton winner since 1973.
Instead it is Jung who will be centre stage as he attempts to become just the second winner of the Grand Slam, emulating Pippa Funnell in 2003.
"It's a long night, a big day, everything can happen," said Jung, an individual and team gold medallist at London 2012.
"For me, this is the best horse in the world. It is a wonderful feeling to ride such a good horse."
Jung remains on 34.4 penalty points, nine better off than compatriot Andreas Ostholt aboard So Is Et and 10.2 points ahead of Britain's Gemma Tattersall, who rides Arctic Soul, in third.
The cross-country challenge
Jung navigated all 33 obstacles over the 6,500m course with precision and finished well inside the optimal time - 11 minutes 58 seconds - at which competitors begin to incur time penalties.
It means he can afford to see two poles fall in Sunday's showjumping finale, assuming his closest rivals deliver blemish-free rounds.
"That horse is really amazing," added Jung. "He always listens to me and trusts in me."
In all, 27 of 75 horses failed to complete the course, set against the picturesque backdrop of Badminton House.
Organisers believe last year's cross-country attendance of 95,000 was comfortably bettered, with more than 100,000 people lining the track.
King's fall at the penultimate obstacle drew howls of concern from those watching and she was visibly upset.
The daughter of six-time Olympian Mary King is one of a number of Britons looking to position themselves for a place at the Rio Olympics.
Tattersall's third place overnight gives her a fine chance of improving on her best finish at Badminton - 16th last year.
Team GB hopefuls must hit qualifying standards on the horse they wish to take to the Games by 19 June, with a selection announcement expected in July.
Former world champion Zara Tindall and her mount High Kingdom have work to do, as they sit 24th in the field, but Oliver Townend and Izzy Taylor are eighth and ninth on Armada and Allercombe Ellie respectively.


A lack of fluid intake contributed to the death of an 85-year-old man at a home he went to for two weeks' respite care, an inquest has found.

Des Raj Kapur died in October 2013 after he was found severely dehydrated and barely conscious at the Burroughs Care Home in Hillingdon.
A representative told West London Coroners Court it could not find records of any fluid and food given.
His son Deepak Kapur said he was "angry" at his father's treatment.
Mr Kapur said his father had been a "lovely man" who just cared about "tending to his family and his family's needs".
"There have been shocking failures in his care."
Prior to being admitted to the care home for the second time, Mr Kapur had become immobile and needed help washing, feeding and drinking, his son said.
Mr Kapur said: "They were supposed to look after him and tend to all his needs".
The coroner gave a narrative verdict which said a lack of fluid intake contributed to Mr Kapur's death in addition to the five illnesses he suffered from.
Care UK said it "apologised wholeheartedly".


Newsnight presenter Jeremy Paxman has shaved off his infamous beard for the new year.

Speaking to Radio Times magazine, Paxman, 63, said: "If a chap can't shave on holiday, what can he do? Beards are so 2013."
Paxman unintentionally created a media storm when he fronted Newsnight with a full beard on BBC Two last August.
At the time, he branded the BBC "pogonophobic" - which means having a fear of beards.
He also explained his reasons, saying: "I have grown a beard for the last few summers, and suddenly wondered whether I really needed to shave it off to present Newsnight.
"Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools And Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha."
Expanding on his thesis, he told the Telegraph: "Beards promise freedom."
"They cover a multitude of chins. They spare you having to look in the mirror at the ravages of time, absolve you of pointless, never-to-be-acted-upon promises to yourself, and they remind you that you're not going into the office today."
Paxman's newly-hirsute appearance caused a flurry of comment and opinion pieces during the summer's slow news season.
Radio broadcaster Robin Lustig, a beard of the year winner, agreed that the BBC was biased against beards.
"On TV, yes definitely, the evidence is there," he said. "There's no bearded current affairs presenter.
"Michael Buerk once was told to shave off his beard if he wanted to carry on presenting."
Celebrities also waded into the debate, with Comedian Russell Brand, telling Paxman his beard was "gorgeous" during a Newsnight interview.
"If the Daily Mail don't want it, I do," he added. "I'm against them, grow it longer, tangle it into your armpit hair."
Paxman replied: "You are a very trivial man."
The Beard Liberation Front, which describes itself as a British and international pressure group which campaigns in support of beards and opposes discrimination against those who wear them, said it was a shame Paxman had decided to return to his clean-shaven look.
"We support people's right to dress and appear as they want so, while we regret Jeremy Paxman's decision to shave off his gravitas-adding beard, the choice should be entirely up to him, BBC pogonophobia notwithstanding."
While Paxman made the shortlist for the Beard Liberation Front's Beard of the Year 2013, he was beaten by choirmaster Gareth Malone and actor John Hurt, who claimed joint first place.


The scope of the independent inquiry into child sex abuse in England and Wales will not change, the new home secretary has told MPs.

Amber Rudd told the Home Affairs Select Committee the inquiry must "look at the historic element of these abuses".
She also said that criticisms from the inquiry's former chairwoman, who wrote to the committee, were "not correct".
Justice Lowell Goddard's letter said the inquiry should focus on current child protection and future changes.
The inquiry was set up in 2014 and announced that 13 initial investigations would look into allegations against local authorities, religious organisations, the armed forces, public and private institutions and people in the public eye.
It has been beset by problems, and last month Dame Lowell became the third chair to quit the inquiry.
Giving evidence to the committee, Ms Rudd said there would be no review of the inquiry's terms of reference.
"Understanding what happened is so important to getting right what we think is going to help now and in the future," she said.
Asked why she thought Dame Lowell had stepped down from her role, Ms Rudd said she believed "ultimately she found it too lonely, she was a long way from home".
"I never met her, so I can only conclude from what she set out in the letter that she knew what she was doing, because I thought that the letter was pretty well informed about what the issues were and really show that she cared about the issues.
"But she did set out in the letter that she didn't feel she could actually deliver on it," she said.
MPs raised a number of questions about the truth of some of Dame Lowell's criticisms, which included saying the inquiry was under-resourced and that she had felt she did not have enough independence in her role.
Ms Rudd said it was "incorrect" of Dame Lowell to suggest that the inquiry had suffered from "operational difficulties" and a lack of resources, because the inquiry had spent less than it was allocated last year and returned about Â£2.5m to the Home Office.
"The Home Office and the now-prime minister were always determined to ensure that there were sufficient resources available," she said.
Ms Rudd was also asked to respond to Dame Lowell's comments that she had been "handicapped by not being given a free hand to recruit staff".
The home secretary said the chairperson could "appoint who they want to the inquiry" and encouraged the committee to put the issue to Dame Lowell "if you feel it is of such importance".
Professor Alexis Jay, Dame Lowell's replacement, will be able to reassure the public and survivors, Ms Rudd said, because she is confident the chairwoman aims to "proceed with pace, clarity and confidence" and does not want the inquiry to "go on endlessly".
Ms Rudd added Prof Jay would be paid "substantially less" than the Â£500,000 a year paid to Dame Lowell, and she promised to disclose the new chairwoman's salary to the committee as soon as it was finalised.


Brazil is the birthplace of one of the world's most famous skateboarders, Bob Burnquist, and Brazil is one of the world's leading skateboarding nations.

Media playback is not supported on this device
Sandro Testinha is a passionate skateboarder from São Paulo who worked as a volunteer in one of Brazil's most dangerous and violent juvenile prisons.
"I saw that many of those jailed for committing terrible crimes were just like me," he says. "The only difference was skateboarding."
He wanted to develop a skate park as a way to keep young people out of a life of crime. But finding a suitable location was hard as many areas are used for drug dealing.
But, using his contacts from his prison experience helped Sandro persuade local drug dealers to vacate an abandoned court and now he's been helping teenagers to exchange guns for skateboards.


The artist Colin Davidson, from Northern Ireland, has painted the German Chancellor Angela Merkel for Time magazine.

Ms Merkel has been named the magazine's 'Person of the Year' and Davidson's portrait adorns the cover of the world-famous publication.
He did not meet her in person but took inspiration from photos and footage.
The Belfast-born artist told the BBC that the invitation from Time was "something you don't turn down".
"I'm sitting in my studio looking at the actual painting, and to see it reproduced on the cover of Time at this time of year and online worldwide is a remarkable thing," he said.
The artist, whose striking portraits can currently be seen in Belfast's Lyric theatre and in the Ulster Museum among many other places, said he was initially a little worried as it was not possible to get a sitting with Ms Merkel.
"All of my paintings, to date, have been the result of meeting and spending time with the person I've painted.
"With this particular commission I was told that the likeness was going to have to be gained through photographic source.
"But I decided to rise to the challenge."
Davidson immersed himself in finding out about his subject, studying photographs and film and reading books about Ms Merkel.
The process took about six weeks from start to finish, whereas he usually works on a portrait for about six months.
"I love nothing more than sitting in my studio and making work, so I just had to focus completely.
"I always paint my sitters in a very natural light. So I actually had to go back into my archive of personal sitters and look at how the light worked on their faces, so I used lots of my own sources from my studio as well as photographic sources for the portrait."
Davidson said that while he did not actually meet Ms Merkel, he felt that by painting her, he did get to know her.
"What I wanted to bring out was something that photography has never caught: a sense of compassion, dignity and humanity.
"I'm thinking particularly of her stance this year."
"What I wanted to do was to portray that, so that whenever people looked at her face and looked into her eyes in the portrait a sense of empathy and compassion would come through."
He found out on Wednesday afternoon that his portrait was on the cover of Time, being seen by people right across the world.
Mrs Merkel has not yet been in contact with the artist, but he said he would "jump at" an opportunity to meet the chancellor.


A court in Jerusalem has sentenced the former Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, to eight months in prison for fraud and breach of trust.

He was convicted at a retrial in March of accepting illegal payments from an American businessman while he served as mayor of Jerusalem and trade minister.
Last year, he was sentenced to six years in prison for accepting bribes.
Olmert has denied any wrongdoing and will remain free until his appeals against both convictions are heard.
A Supreme Court decision on the first appeal is expected in the next couple of months.
If he is unsuccessful OImert will become the first former head of government in Israel to be jailed.
Olmert served as prime minister from 2006 to 2009.
He was forced to resign amid a flurry corruption allegations, which ended his political career and disrupted the peace process with the Palestinians.
In 2012, Olmert was acquitted of fraud, concealing fraudulent earnings and breach of trust in connection with donations received from a New York-based financier, Morris Talansky between 1997 and 2005.
However, a retrial was ordered after a former aide, Shula Zaken, accepted a plea bargain and testified against Olmert. Ms Zaken gave prosecutors diary entries and tape recordings of conversations in which Olmert referred to receiving the money.
Olmert was found guilty of fraud and breach of trust in March and on Monday was sentenced to eight months in jail. He was also given a suspended sentence of an additional eight months and fined 100,000 shekels ($25,000; Â£16,000).
The Jerusalem District Court said the sentence recognised Olmert's contributions to Israeli society, but noted that "a black flag hovers over his conduct".
Olmert's lawyer Eyal Rozovsky said they were "very disappointed" by the sentence.
The former prime minister has always insisted that he is innocent and has described the allegations against him as "a brutal, ruthless witch-hunt".
The 69-year-old is also appealing against the six-year sentence he was given in May 2014 in connection with a real estate deal at took place when he was mayor of Jerusalem in the 1990s.
He was convicted of accepting bribes in return for speeding up a controversial residential development, known as Holyland, in the heart of the city.


A woman from Londonderry has triumphed at the SSE Walled City Marathon.

Catherine Whoriskey took the women's race title after finishing in a time of two hours and 50 minutes.
Her victory is the latest in an impressive year of competitions, including a win at the Lifford-Strabane Half Marathon in May.
The men's contest was won by last year's runner-up, Dan Tanui, in a time of two hours and 25 minutes.
Intermittent bursts of rain provided welcome respite from the humid conditions as 1,500 runners took to the streets of Derry.
At the finish line, Mr Tanui said: "I feel good and I am grateful to have won this race today.
"I felt nervous before the race, but once I completed the first half I knew I would win.
"I have come here three or four times now and I am happy I came here today."
The gruelling 26.2 mile event began at 08:30 BST on Sunday and thousands of spectators lined the race route on both sides of the River Foyle to watch the sporting spectacle.
The race started from the Everglades Hotel on Prehen Road and finished at Guildhall Square.
One great source of encouragement for the competitors was provided by local man Alan Warke who annually positions himself at the top of a steep hill on Fahan Street near the conclusion of the race and plays drums to spur runners on.
He told BBC News NI: "I have been doing this for a few years now.
"I've been here since 07:45 this morning and the drums help the runners put the beat on the street."
All runners received a bespoke Walled City Marathon Medal, a t-shirt and a goodie bag at the finish line.
Medical support was provided by St John's Ambulance, doctors and around 50 first-aiders.