A rulebook covering the conduct of undercover police officers in England and Wales and how they are supervised has been published for the first time.

The draft guidance bans sexual relationships and says officers must submit to regular psychological tests.
The College of Policing said it had taken the unprecedented step in an effort to win back public support after a string of controversies.
The move comes ahead of a major public inquiry into undercover malpractice.
It will investigate how officers had sexual relationships with women, deployments leading to miscarriages of justice and whether two secretive disbanded units were out of control.
Undercover policing inquiry: Why it matters
The new rules - which are subject to a public consultation until 10 August - have been brought together for the first time to explain the legal, ethical and safety issues around operations.
The College of Policing, a national standards-setting body, says it is now assessing undercover units and has the power to withdraw their approval to operate.
The 80 pages of guidance state:
The college's head, Chief Constable Alex Marshall, said undercover policing was "essential" for catching some criminals - and the police had to be as transparent as possible about how this risky work was carried out in the public interest.
He said: "By publishing the vast majority of the guidance, withholding only operational tactics which would no longer be viable if shared, we want the public to see the measures we have in place to ensure undercover policing is used in a way that is proportionate, lawful and ethical."
The new rule book states: "It is never acceptable for an Undercover Officer to form an intimate sexual relationship with those they are employed to infiltrate and target or may encounter during their deployment.
"This conduct will never be authorised, nor must it ever be used as a tactic of a deployment."
"It can't be authorised. It's wrong, it shouldn't happen," said Chief Constable Marshall. "If in some extreme circumstance something happens where the operative has gone outside this guidance, then you have to report it and it will be investigated."
The public inquiry will examine whether officers are properly looked after by their forces - and under the new rules, they must be psychologically assessed at least every six months.
Peter Francis, a former undercover officer who suffered long-term damage to his mental health while deployed with a disbanded Scotland Yard unit, warned that more still had to be done to protect those in the field today.
"These new guidelines on psychological support aren't necessarily new. Promises were made in the past within my unit, the Special Demonstration Squad, but officers still suffered numerous psychological problems," he said.
And solicitor Jules Carey, who is involved in ongoing legal action over alleged undercover abuses, cautiously welcomed the guidance banning sexual relations.
But he added: "It is disappointing that the guidance fails to spell out that in a democracy the first consideration should whether it is necessary to use an undercover officer at all, or whether the intelligence could be obtained through some other means.
"The guidance should also make it clear that the degree of intrusion should be proportionate to the seriousness of the crime being investigated."


A Loughborough student who had recently completed his training as a community responder has saved the life of a day-old baby.

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27 January 2015 Last updated at 10:56 GMT
Mike Hardy was called to a home of Joaquim and Patricia Rodrigues where their new-born daughter had stopped breathing and was choking.
Jo Healey reports.


A 70-year-old man has died in a two-vehicle crash in County Donegal.

The crash between a jeep and a 4x4 happened at about 22:30 BST on Sunday on the N15 at Drumcroil, Ballintra.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Five other people were taken to Sligo General Hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
Police said they are investigating the crash.


Bristol's head of performance Mark Bennett is to leave at the end of the season to join the Rugby Football Union as head of sports science and medicine.

Connacht's Paul Bunce will replace Bennett at Bristol in the summer.
Bunce has worked alongside the Pro12 club's current boss Pat Lam - who will join Bristol as their new head coach from June - for the past three seasons.
Bennett has been with Premiership strugglers Bristol since 2014, helping them win promotion last season.
Reporting to the RFU's professional rugby director Nigel Melville, Bennett will manage all performance staff and services for the governing body, leading on aspects such as anti-doping and nutrition.
Bennett played for Swansea, Cardiff and before moving into fitness work that has involved stints with Scarlets, Celtic Warriors, Wales, Ospreys and Bristol.
He was on Wales' fitness staff when they won Grand Slams in 2005 and 2008.
Bunce was previously head of strength and conditioning at Bath and Welsh region Newport Gwent Dragons.
Bristol's interim head coach Mark Tainton told the club website: "Paul has a wealth of knowledge in his field and a proven track record of driving the physical preparation standards of professional teams.
"The style of rugby that Pat wants his team to play is high-tempo and full of energy. Paul - with his background and experience - is well equipped to deliver those goals."


Wales will be better for the experience of their New Zealand tour despite suffering a 3-0 series whitewash, coach Warren Gatland says.

The world champions routed Wales 46-6 in Saturday's final Test, Wales' heaviest loss for nine years and their 29th in a row against the All Blacks.
Gatland's side conceded 16 tries in the three Tests, scoring five, but he says they have also benefited.
"We'll take a lot of lessons from what we've learned," he said.
"We need to make sure that we apply that to the next time we're back together.
"It's pretty disappointing. We thought there were a lot of positives out of the first two Tests... but in fairness to the All Blacks I thought they were absolutely outstanding."
Wales, without a win over New Zealand since 1953, were beaten 39-21 in the first Test at Eden Park, before a 36-22 defeat in Wellington.
Steve Hansen's side blew Wales away in scintillating spells in those games, crossing for five tries in each.
Gatland's team also suffered an embarrassing 40-7 defeat against Super Rugby side the Chiefs, who were missing all eight of their current All Blacks.
In Dunedin, Wales could only muster two first-half Dan Biggar penalties as the All Blacks ran in six tries without reply.
It was Wales' heaviest defeat since a 62-5 thrashing by England in 2007.
But asked if his players would be better for the experience, Gatland said: "Yeah, absolutely.
"Obviously they're disappointed, they're pretty gutted.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We've got to learn from those experiences, making sure that when we go back that we apply those learnings back into their regions and back when we're together the next time.
"Their back three caused us a lot of problems in terms of their pace and their counter-attacking, so that will be a big work on for us.
"The big thing is that collision dominance at the breakdown, just in terms of that acceleration into the contact area and that for us is a big work on that we need to continue to improve at because that creates that quick ball.
"That was definitely a difference between the two sides tonight and we need to learn from that.
"You can get away with it sometimes in the northern hemisphere because they are not as aggressive there at the breakdown, and the All Blacks were clinical in that area."
Gatland's side have conceded 21 tries in their last four Tests, including the 27-13 defeat by England in May.
But Hansen says Wales should not be judged on their performance in Dunedin, suggesting perhaps some Welsh players were already thinking about returning home as their long season came to a close.
"They go home tomorrow, so maybe some of them were on the plane, I don't know," he said.
"They'll re-group, they're a good team and they're better than that.
"They'll get a decent pre-season hopefully and come back and be a force in the Six Nations.
"It's always a difficult time for Test teams to be playing at the end of their season, particularly in the World Cup year when they don't get a break and they just play right through."


London's Victoria and Albert (V&A) is one of five museums nominated for this year's £100,000 Art Fund Prize.

The Art Fund awards its museum of the year prize to an establishment which has "shown exceptional imagination, innovation and achievement".
The others shortlisted are Bethlem Museum of the Mind in London, Bristol's Arnolfini, Edinburgh's Jupiter Artland and York Art Gallery.
The winner will be announced on 6 July at the Natural History Museum.
Last year the prize was awarded to the Whitworth in Manchester.
Stephen Deuchar, director of the Art Fund, said this year's shortlist showed "why and how UK museums lead the world".
"Each one of these five museums is outstanding - not just for the collections they display, but for the people who work there, and the visitors whose lives they can change," Mr Deuchar continued.
"Whether reaching audiences of thousands or millions, the best museums turn objects into culture, put audiences at the heart of their work, and engage with issues of the moment."
The V&A has long been considered one of the UK's - and the world's - foremost museums of art and design and a leading visitor attraction as a result.
And the last 12 months has proved a record-breaking year for the establishment, pulling in 3.9 million visitors, and a further 14.5 million online visitors.
This success has been largely due to a  major gallery restoration project and sell-out exhibitions such as a Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, in celebration of the innovative designer who died in 2010, which attracted a record-breaking 493,043 visitors from 87 countries.
Its 2013 hit David Bowie Is  retrospective, which embarked on a global tour after its London run, notched up its millionth visitor in Paris in May.
Other highlights have included a major show of Indian textiles and a worldwide touring programme for the V&A's Museum of Childhood.
The Bethlem Museum of the Mind is described by the Art Fund as "extraordinary".  It holds an extensive collection of archives, art and historic objects relating to the history of mental health care and treatment.
It was opened by the Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry in 2015.
Jupiter Artland is an award-winning sculpture collection on the outskirts of Edinburgh. A charity, it focuses on nurturing the work of contemporary artists and commissioning site-specific work for its 100-acres of woodland and meadow.
The museum was established in 1999 by art collectors Robert and Nicky Wilson within Bonnington House, a Jacobean manor with extensive grounds.  The couple's aim was partly to find a space to allow the public to share in their own private collection of art.
The Arnolfini in Bristol is described as "a pioneer of the interdisciplinary contemporary arts".  It prides itself on a wide-ranging remit taking in visual art, performance, dance, film and music.
Sited dramatically in a repurposed warehouse on the city's harbourside, Arnolfini welcomes half a million visitors each year, to experience works of art by local, national and international artists.
Its credited with helping regenerate Bristol's harbourside and in 2015 it embarked on its own renovation venture, boosting its visitor numbers in the process.
Lastly, the York Art Gallery was built in 1879 and is now home to a nationally designated collection spanning 600 years.
In August 2015 the gallery reopened after an £8m development which increased its exhibition space by 60%, allowing significant artworks and exhibitions to be brought to the city, including ceramics and art dedicated to World War One.
The five finalists were whittled down from a longlist of 10, following visits by the judges.
The Art Fund is independently financed with the core of its income provided by 122,000 members. Its main work is in grant-giving and supporting the UK's art establishments, small and large.


A 23-year-old man has appeared in court in connection with the death of a man who was hit by a car following what police said was an "altercation".

Richard Broughton, 37, died on Sunday, two days after he was injured in an incident in Welland Crescent, Elsecar.
John Paul Jones, of Welland Crescent, appeared at Barnsley Magistrates' Court charged with affray and witness intimidation.
He was remanded in custody to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on 31 May.
More stories from across Yorkshire
South Yorkshire Police said the car involved in the incident, believed to be a Suzuki Swift, did not stop at the scene but was later recovered in Hoyland.
A post-mortem examination revealed Mr Broughton died as a result of multiple injuries.
A 35-year-old man arrested on Monday on suspicion of violent disorder has been released on police bail while inquiries continued, the force said


A man accused of terrorism offences has told a jury he wanted to travel to Syria to "help the Syrian people".

Ednane Mahmood, 19, from Blackburn, Lancashire, had an interest in Syria "from the beginning of the war, because of all the suffering", the court heard.
He denies attempting to travel to Syria to commit acts of terrorism and providing internet links to others which encourage acts of terrorism.
Mr Mahmood said he had enquired about joining an aid convoy to Syria.
He was told he must raise Â£5,000.
Manchester Crown Court heard how he and his brother raised Â£80 by organising a charity run.
Mr Mahmood had searched the internet in July 2014 for airports in Turkey. A week later he searched for "jihad", the jury was told.
He said: " I think jihad is the peaceful way - the struggle to carry on with our lives. Not militants."
Defence barrister Ian McMeekin asked Mr Mahmood why he sent a link promoting militant group Isis via a private message on Facebook and wrote "I love this vid".
He responded: "Within the video it showed the people in the towns in Iraq feel they've been liberated by Isis. They were happy.... now I know they're a banned organisation."
When asked if he had known that in July 2014, he said: "I don't know. I sent it just to show what was going on Iraq. These events were on the news. They were everywhere."
The court heard how the Blackburn teenager began drinking alcohol with friends when he was 14 or 15.
His family found out about it and so he decided to stop drinking in early 2014 and stay at home, he said.
"Instead I played video games and searched things on the internet. That's the only things I had to do in my spare time. I played Call of Duty on a daily basis. I was regularly on the news websites. They were showing Syria so I was researching."
The trial continues.


Mae'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol yng Nghymru wedi dweud y bydd Brexit "wrth wraidd" eu haddewidion ar gyfer yr etholiad cyffredinol.

Dywedodd arweinydd y blaid yng Nghymru, Mark Williams y gallai gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd "ddinistrio'r dyfodol i'n plant".
Bydd y blaid yn lansio'u maniffesto yng Nghymru yn Y Gelli Gandryll ddydd Gwener, wrth i'r ymgyrchu ailddechrau yn dilyn ymosodiad Manceinion.
Mae'n cynnwys addewid i wario rhagor ar iechyd ac addysg, a rhoi caniatâd i forlyn llanw Bae Abertawe.
Mae'r Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol wedi dweud y byddan nhw'n cynnal refferendwm arall ar ddiwedd y trafodaethau Brexit, fyddai'n cynnwys opsiwn i aros o fewn yr UE os nad yw etholwyr yn hoff o'r cytundeb.
Mae eu polisïau eraill yn cynnwys:
Dywedodd y blaid y byddai'r maniffesto, sydd yn dwyn yr enw 'Newid Dyfodol Cymru', yn cynnig "dyfodol gwell".
Fe wnaeth y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol ennill un sedd yng Nghymru yn etholiad cyffredinol 2015, ond collodd y blaid gynghorwyr yn yr etholiadau lleol diweddar.
Cyn lansio'r maniffesto, dywedodd Mark Williams: "Rydyn ni'n credu mewn Cymru gref, agored a goddefgar ble mae'r dechrau gorau posib mewn bywyd i'n plant, ble mae gan bawb barch at ei gilydd, a ble mae'r economi'n gweithio er budd pawb. Dyna yw sail ein cynllun.
"Bydd cytundeb Brexit sâl, gyda Phrydain yn gadael y Farchnad Sengl, yn drychinebus i ddyfodol ein plant, ein heconomi, a'n hysgolion a'n hysbytai.
"Etholiad ble gallwch lunio eich dyfodol eich hun yw hwn. Gall pleidlais dros Ddemocratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru newid dyfodol Cymru."


Australian police have arrested two men suspected of plotting to launch terror attacks on targets in Sydney.

The men were arrested at separate homes in Sydney's suburbs on Wednesday morning.
Police will allege the men planned attacks on several targets, including a naval base in Sydney Harbour.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn said there was no evidence that an attack was imminent.
Instead, Wednesday's arrests related to documents seized in raids in December 2014 as part of an investigation dubbed Operation Appleby.
Today's activity was also related to five arrests made in December this year, Ms Burn said.
"There was a group of people who came together with the intention to do something and they started preparing to carry out a terrorist attack," she said.
She said the Wolloomooloo Navy base as well as the offices of Australian Federal Police and NSW Police are thought to have been targets in the plot.
The men have been named in Australian media as Abdullah Salihy, 24, and Mohammed Almouie, 20. The homes of both men's families have previously been raided as part of Operation Appleby, Australian media reported.
Operation Appleby is an ongoing police operation focusing on a group of young men who police believe were planning a terrorist attack in Australia. A total of 13 people have been arrested as part of the operation so far.


(Close): Disney shares closed down 9% after disappointing earnings figures sparking share price falls in rival cable companies.

Walt Disney said subscriber numbers for its sports channel ESPN had dropped. Viewers are moving away from packages offered by cable companies to simpler services and stand-alone streaming.
Time Warner also fell 9%, despite better-than-expected profit  figures.
The Dow Jones shed 0.06% to 17,067 points.
The S&P 500 gained 0.31% to 2,099.88 points. The Nasdaq rose 0.67% to 5,139.95 points.
Discovery Communications fell 13% after reporting lower advertising sales and a strong dollar for below forecast profits.
Twenty-First Century Fox were down 7%, CBS down 5% and Viacom shares 7%.
Barton Crockett, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, said: "If Disney can get dinged, maybe nobody's safe."
But bucking the trend, Dish Network reported higher-than-expected revenue and profit and shares rose 4%.
Priceline Group rose 6% after the travel company reported profit and revenue that beat analysts' forecasts.
First Solar, up 17% and Ralph Lauren, turned an earlier 2.3%, gain into a loss of 1% despite releasing results that pleased investors.
Economic data was disappointing.
Private employers hired 185,000 workers last month, according to the ADP National Employment Report. That fell short of economists' forecasts for an increase of 215,000.
The report also revised down June's private payroll gains to 229,000 from the 237,000 reported before.
Investors will be looking to Friday's non-farm payroll data.


The first passenger train service to operate on Guernsey's roads since the 1930s has been trialled.

11 April 2016 Last updated at 14:57 BST
The service, a private enterprise known as Petit Train, will operate in May in St Peter Port.
The island had a tram service between St Peter Port and St Sampson from 1879 until it closed in 1934, after passenger numbers fell.
A light railway was later constructed by the German occupying forces in the Channel Islands during World War Two.


Chelsea are waiting on potential moves for defender Branislav Ivanovic and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Ivanovic, 32, has been linked with a move to West Brom, while Begovic, 29, could be set to join Bournemouth.
"It is difficult to make a decision but we must respect every decision for the players," said Blues boss Antonio Conte.
"We must wait over these next three days and we will see."
West Brom boss Tony Pulis was at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to see Ivanovic score Chelsea's third goal in their 4-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Brentford. It was his 34th goal in his 377th game for the club.
The Serbia international has won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during nine years with Chelsea after joining the Blues from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2008.
He has made 16 appearances this season, but half of those have been as a substitute.
"When one player has the habit to play every game and it happens that you are not playing regularly, it's not easy to accept this decision," said Conte.
"Ivan knows well the situation and I'm pleased if he remains here, if he stays with us.
"But in this situation, for sure, the player must make the best decision for him, for his family.
"Ivan deserves great respect for his career at Chelsea. He played a lot of games, he won a lot with this team. I think we have to respect every decision."
Begovic also played in the FA Cup win over the Bees and made two good saves to ensure the Blues kept a clean sheet. However, he has only made five appearances this season, all of them in cup games.
Conte indicated that he would be happy to allow the keeper to leave if the club sign a replacement, with reports suggesting they are looking to bring in Celtic's Craig Gordon.
"It's not easy," added Conte. "There are three days to finish this transfer window. We have some situations. We are seeing, but we are not close [to replacing Begovic]."


St Helens captain Jon Wilkin says they will have to be "exceptional" to win their Super League game against Wigan on Good Friday.

Saints are currently fourth in the table, one place below their rivals, who are also two points better off.
"The Good Friday derby game, it's even bigger than the other derby games we play this season," Wilkin told BBC Radio Merseyside.
"This game is head and shoulders the biggest league game of the year."
Saints suffered their second loss of the season in their last game when they were defeated by Leeds Rhinos.
"Wigan this week is a huge challenge for us. They're a fantastic, well disciplined side. We have to be exceptional this week and a far sight better then we were against Leeds," Wilkin added.
"For the guys who haven't played in this game before, it's something we have been telling them about since pre-season,
"Forget about the league, forget about the Challenge Cup, forget about anything else, this game in isolation is as important to both sets of fans as any other."
He added: "We are going into this game to be physical and to be strong. Effort, intensity, aggression, those are the easiest bits to get right.
"Since I have started playing with St Helens, the Good Friday derby game has been the one of the most memorable days of my career."


South Korea won their eighth straight women's team archery gold, beating Russia five set points to one in the final.

They have now won the event every time since its introduction in 1988, although Russia won the World Championships in 2015.
But the favourites proved too strong, only dropping points in the final set.
Beforehand, Chinese Taipei took the bronze, beating Italy by five set points to three.
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A mentally ill teenager who was held in a cell for two days due to a lack of hospital beds suffered "heartbreaking" failings in her care, her mother says.

The 16-year-old girl was arrested in November and later sectioned. But, with no bed available, she spent two days in a cell at Torquay police station.
Her case sparked an outcry and debates in Parliament, with the home secretary vowing to ban the practice.
NHS England has since apologised and described her care as "unacceptable".
The girl's mother, who is not being named to protect the girl's privacy, told BBC Inside Out South West she was "absolutely destroyed" to find her daughter sleeping in a cell.
"When I walked in and saw her lying there, on that floor... heartbreaking," she said.
"She was on a blue thing on the floor - it's not even what you class as a police bed.
"She needed the right help. The police, I can't fault them, they did an amazing job looking after my child."
More than 24 hours after the girl was put in the cell, Paul Netherton, Assistant Chief Constable at Devon and Cornwall Police, took to Twitter to express his frustration and voice concerns for her welfare.
His comments provoked a national debate and questions in Parliament. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was "totally unacceptable for someone with severe mental health problems to be placed in a police cell".
The girl was arrested on Thursday evening at Torbay Hospital for an alleged breach of peace. She was then taken to Torquay police station where she was detained under the Mental Health Act on Friday morning. She was never charged with any offence.
Once someone is detained under the act, it is the responsibility of the NHS to find a place in a specialist hospital where appropriate care can be provided.
As no bed was made available, the girl had to remain in a police cell until Saturday evening.
However, Exeter Labour MP Ben Bradshaw has claimed a bed was available, but the private provider declined the referral.
NHS England would not comment on the specific case, but said providers "sometimes decline to accept referrals if they feel they cannot meet the individual's needs".
Source: Devon and Cornwall Police
The girl's mother praised the intervention of Mr Netherton and said that evening - two days after the teenager was first placed in the cell - a bed on an adult psychiatric ward was found.
"My daughter shouldn't have been held in a police cell for that long," she added.
In a joint statement, the South Devon and Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group, NHS England and Torbay and Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust, said the care was "unacceptable and we apologise".
"Following a review of this case, we have agreed a system to ensure that, in any case where a child cannot be found an appropriate placement rapidly, a clear escalation process will be followed," the statement added.
However, the mother said she was yet to receive an apology from the NHS.
The girl has now been moved to a specialist hospital more than 200 miles (320km) from her family home.
"My daughter needs her family. We need her, she needs us. We are a close family and we don't cope without each other," her mother added.
"The fact she's so far away from all of us hurts her even more."
Following the case, the government announced the use of police cells as a "place of safety" for teenagers experiencing mental health problems would be banned.
Home Secretary Theresa May said: "There is no place for this in our society."
Inside Out South West is broadcast on BBC One on Monday, 26 January at 19:30 GMT and nationwide on the iPlayer for 30 days thereafter.


A County Tyrone woman has taken the music industry by storm thanks to social media  - and a bit of attention from one of Ireland's most prolific songwriters.

Donna Taggart's version of the song, 'Jealous of the Angels', is now a global online hit.
Her album also performed well in the US and her work was noticed by famed songwriter Phil Coulter.
It was while Donna was on maternity leave that she put her recording online, but no one could have predicted what happened next.
"I had recorded the song some time before. Mummy duties took over for a while and I wanted to give my music a push. So I gave it a very gentle nudge on social media and, you know, here we are."
So far, the song has had 66 million views on Facebook and more than two million on Youtube.
Donna, a mother of two, believes the words of the song have touched people across the globe.
"The lyrics are very honest and very raw. I suppose they put into words how a lot of people feel when they lose someone close to them, so I think it has struck a chord with a lot of people.
"Grief is something that touches us all," she said.
"The power of music is universal and I think when the two of those come together you have something which is very, very powerful."
The song was written by American singer-songwriter Jenn Bostic after the death of her father.
Donna's version has brought her to the attention of Londonderry musician, Phil Coulter.
"I was blown away by the phenomenal success, and that is a word which is overused in the music business. But the only way to describe what has happened to Donna is a phenomenon," said Coulter.
"I had been aware of Donna. She was on my radar because she sent me a CD where she had done a cover of 'The Town I Loved', and a very good cover it was too.
"I thought, it is the perfect opportunity to invite Donna on to my shows in the north to let her do her thing for my audiences.
"And they have lapped it up," he said.
Coulter has written songs for singers from Elvis to the Bay City Rollers. Now he is planning to write something especially for Donna.
"There is a crossover between what Donna does and what I do so that is something which we would like to think we could make happen in the not too distant future," he said.
And Donna knows it is not every day that someone starting off in the music industry gets the backing from one of the best in the business.
"Phil is one of the most esteemed songwriters of our time and I am very, very grateful for the opportunity that he has given me and I will be grasping it with both hands," she said.
But Phil Coulter isn't the only legend from the Maiden City who has helped Donna on to the musical ladder.
She is also quick to acknowledge the help of the late BBC broadcaster Gerry Anderson.
"I remember so well walking into BBC Radio Foyle about five years ago now and I spoke with Gerry and asked him would he play my CD.
"He said 'listen, I will listen to it and if it is good I will give it a go, and if it is not I won't'.
"And the very next day he gave it extensive radio play. And, you know, I am very very grateful to Gerry for that." said Donna.
The famed songwriter says he gets great satisfaction out of helping younger people starting out - "especially talented younger people".
"Talent only buys you into the game," Coulter said.
"It is a combination of talent and hard work and application," he said.
And his advice to the up-and-coming singer?
"Turn up to work on Monday morning... Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday as well."


India's economy grew at an annual rate of 7% between April and June, official figures have shown.

This is slower than the 7.5% growth recorded for the previous quarter, and lower than expected.
India and China - which also posted 7% growth in the second quarter - are now the joint fastest growing major economies in the world.
But some economists have expressed concerns that India's official figures do not accurately reflect true growth.
"At face value, today's GDP figures for [the second quarter] suggest that India matched China as the world's fastest-growing major economy last quarter," said Shilan Shah at Capital Economics.
"But the GDP data remain inconsistent with numerous other indicators which suggest that, at best, the economy is in the early stages of recovery after three years of tepid growth.
"The official GDP data are overstating the strength of the economy, most probably by a significant margin."
With concerns about slowing growth in China, some investors are starting to turn to India as the next driver of global growth.
Some were expecting stronger growth than 7% - in two of the previous three quarters, the Indian economy grew faster than China.
"The GDP number is disappointing but, overall, going ahead we expect India's economic growth to be driven by domestic demand," said Madhavi Arora, from Kotak Mahindra Bank in Mumbai.
"With commodity prices falling, there should be a boost to corporate margins going ahead and household spending should also go up."
Analysis: Simon Atkinson, editor, India Business Report, Mumbai
There will be plenty of people disappointed with this number. Some economists I've spoken to recently thought GDP growth would be closer to 8% - streaking ahead of China's.
Digging into the detail - it looks like growth in Indian manufacturing has slowed from a year ago - a bit of a blow given this is one of the Modi government's main initiatives.
And whether pace picks up in the July-September period will largely depend on the weather. This is the monsoon season and when rains are good and harvest plentiful, rural consumption goes up as people working in agriculture have more money to spend.
But, so far, many parts of the country have seen less rain than you'd expect.


Owner Dale Vince believes Forest Green Rovers are destined for the Football League - even if they lose Sunday's National League promotion final.

Forest Green face Tranmere at Wembley, a year after losing to Grimsby in last year's final, with Vince certain his side will eventually be promoted.
"It's just a question of when. If it doesn't happen this Sunday, we'll have another shot next year.
"It's part of the long-term vision for the club," the 55-year-old said.
Vince has already declared his ambition for the Nailsworth-based club is to reach the Championship and feels Rovers can take the first step with victory over Tranmere, banishing the memories of the Grimsby defeat.
"It'll be different to last year, because we've been there and done it already," Vince told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
"I think it makes us as a club much more relaxed about the trip to Wembley. Our first time in the play-offs, when we finished fifth, was much more anxious for us than this year, our third time in the play-offs.
"We're going to have a great day on Sunday and see what comes."


It is 2014, and we should all be in therapy.

At least, that's according to Isaac Asimov, one of the 20th Century's best-known science fiction authors, who in 1964 published an essay predicting what our world would look like today.
The occasion?
Not a mental breakdown - despite his insistence on the importance of psychiatry in the future - but rather the World's Fair in Queens, New York, which opened 50 years ago today.
Although the official theme of the fair, which ran for two six-month sessions, was Peace Through Understanding, today it is primarily remembered for its vision of the future.
And while some of those futuristic technologies on display never quite went mainstream - underwater housing and levitating cars, anyone? - a closer look at Asimov's World's Fair of 2014 reveals that his crystal ball was shockingly clear.
Here's a look at 2014, through the eyes of 1964.
1. "Communications will become sight-sound and you will see as well as hear the person you telephone."
The first transcontinental video call between two places was made on 20 April 1964 using technology developed by Bell Systems (later Bell Laboratories), which may have partly inspired Asimov's prediction.
However, he would certainly be surprised at the low cost of products such as Skype and Apple's FaceTime: in 1964, a three-minute video phone call from Washington DC to New York cost $16 (Â£9) - around $118 in today's money.
2.  It will be possible "for you to direct-dial any spot on earth, including the weather stations in Antarctica".
Just dial country code 672 (for some parts - others use New Zealand's country code, +64).
3. "Robots will neither be common nor very good in 2014, but they will be in existence."
Asimov is credited with introducing the word robotics into the English language, so it is perhaps no surprise he was right in predicting that no real robot yet exits that can rival The Jetson's housemaid, Rosie - first brought to screen in 1962.
But there are projects under way to get robots to pass Japan's university exam, perform remote surgery, and even cook a gourmet meal.
Asimov also came close to identifying what has become a crucial component of modern life: "miniaturised computers", also known as smartphones, which he thought would serve as the "brains" of robots (anyone who has tried to navigate a foreign city without the use of a smartphone map might wonder if he really meant brains of "humans").
One of the most notable aspects of Asimov's predictions is that he often nailed the technology, but overestimated the enthusiasm with which such technologies would be greeted.
To give him his due, flat-screen televisions have replaced traditional sets, and 3D television technologies, while not in cube form, have long been a highlight of the electronics trade show circuit.
But audiences have generally shrugged: the BBC said in July it would suspend its 3D programming due to a "lack of public appetite".
5. "Conversations with the Moon will be a trifle uncomfortable."
Of course, Asimov was bound to have a few duds. The dawn of the Space Age might have made him a bit optimistic about communications with our Moon suburbs - calls would have a delay of 2.5 seconds, he thought - although he was spot on when he predicted that by 2014 "only unmanned ships will have landed on Mars".
He did not, however, predict the Mars Curiosity's Twitter account.
6. "Kitchen units will be devised that will prepare 'automeals', heating water and converting it to coffee."
Automated coffee machines do indeed exist.
Asimov's predictions that processed yeast and algae products would be available in a variety of flavours, including "mock-turkey" and "pseudo-steak", were semi-realised last year when scientists unveiled the first laboratory-grown burger.
Critics might be divided on whether or not Mr Asimov was right about the taste being "not bad at all": some who ate the burger said they "missed the fat".
7. "An experimental fusion-power plant or two will already exist."
The joke goes that fusion - essentially, harnessing the power inside stars - is the power of the future, and always will be.
And that continues to be the reality, although there is a $22bn multinational effort under way to get a reactor up and running by 2028 in the south of France.
But Asimov's predictions about large solar-power stations in desert and semi-desert areas like Arizona and the Negev desert are accurate.
Power stations in space, "collecting sunlight by means of huge parabolic focusing devices and radiating energy down to earth" remains an out-there goal.
8. "Much effort will be put into the designing of vehicles with 'robot-brains.'"
"Robot-brain" surely has a better ring than "self-driving car".
Asimov's other transport predictions - while just as catchy - still remain the stuff of dreams. The aquafoils, which "skimmed over the water with a minimum of friction" and impressed World's Fair visitors in 1964, haven't caught on. Neither have their successors - jet packs and hovercraft.
9. "Not all the world's population will enjoy the gadgetry world of the future to the full. A larger portion than today will be deprived and although they may be better off, materially, than today, they will be further behind."
Asimov predicted more - and got more right, or semi-right - than is possible to list here. His fears about population growth and birth control could be the stuff of an entirely separate article.
But perhaps his most prescient observation, or warning, was that while technology, both then and now, has the power to transform lives, without efforts towards equal access, it can hurt, rather than help, the goal of "peace through understanding".


A walking programme which was designed to get people with intellectual disabilities fit had no real impact, according to a study.

The University of Glasgow researchers found that participants in the Scottish government-funded Walk Well programme were not walking more or sitting less.
They said participants had difficulties finding time to walk with carers, which may be due to social care budget cuts.
They said more intensive or home-based programmes may be required in future.
Dr Craig Melville, senior lecturer in learning disabilities psychiatry, said: "Cuts in social care budgets have disproportionately impacted on disabled people and even when social care support is available, it is often not funded at a level that allows paid carers to support adults with intellectual disabilities to be physically active."
According to the study, only 5% of adults with intellectual disabilities meet public health recommendations for physical activity, compared to 64% of adults in the general population. About 50% were classed as obese, compared to a national average of 25%.
The Walk Well intervention programme was designed for adults with intellectual difficulties to increase their levels of physical activity and reduce the time they spend sitting.
The programme was funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish government.
It consisted of three face-to-face physical activity consultations, which included behaviour change techniques, written resources for patients and carers, and an individualised structured walking programme.
Researchers carrying out the review selected 102 participants at random - 54 took part in the Walk Well programme and 48 were on a waiting list.
Over a 12-week period, both groups took fewer than 5,000 steps per day and 59% had a BMI in the obesity range.
A majority of participants lived in the most deprived neighbourhoods of Scotland.
Dr Melville said: "The lack of effect in the Walk Well trial may be due to a lack of availability of social support to make walking accessible, facilitate community participation and moderate social disadvantages."
He also suggested that social enterprises, volunteer organisations and buddy programmes might have a role to play in supporting adults with intellectual disabilities to be more active.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "The Scottish government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, and we acknowledge this report.
"We want people with learning disabilities to enjoy a healthy life. Reducing the stark health inequalities people with learning disabilities face is a key priority within our 'the keys to life' strategy."


A lead investigator into the Germanwings crash has called for anyone with footage of the disaster to hand it over to the authorities.

French prosecutor Brice Robin said he was not aware of a video, reported by German and French media, showing the last seconds before the crash.
Bild and Paris Match said on Tuesday they had mobile phone footage from inside the plane.
Airline bosses spoke of their regret on a visit to the crash site on Wednesday.
Their statement comes amid mounting questions about how much the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz's employers knew about his mental health after it emerged he had disclosed a previous bout of "severe depression".
A recording from the cockpit of the aircraft suggests Lubitz, 27, deliberately caused the disaster, killing all 150 on board.
Mr Robin said investigators were not yet examining mobile phones found at the crash site, and he was not aware of footage from phones having been recovered.
German newspaper Bild and French news magazine Paris Match said they had obtained a video which recorded the sound of passengers screaming and the sound of a metal object striking the cockpit door.
Anyone with footage "must hand it over immediately to investigators," AFP news agency quoted the French prosecutor as saying on Wednesday.
Thomas Winkelmann, chief executive of Germanwings, and Carsten Spohr, head of the parent company Lufthansa, visited Seyne-les-Alpes on Wednesday to inspect recovery operations based there.
The Lufthansa boss said it would take a "long, long time" for investigators to establish the cause of the crash, and said "we're sorry" over the disaster.
Thanking rescue workers and local residents, Mr Spohr said: "Everybody at Lufthansa knows how hard this work has been... We are very grateful."
"We know the burden that has been put on this area, where nothing is the same anymore.
"We will do everything we can to turn this place into a place of mourning for relatives of the victims, and to restore this beautiful countryside."
They laid a wreath at a memorial to those killed but refused to take questions from journalists about the investigation.
Mr Spohr had previously said that Lufthansa was not aware of anything that could have driven the co-pilot to crash the Airbus A320.
Read more stories of the victims
German pupils devastated by deaths of classmates
The plane went down on 24 March as it travelled from Barcelona to Duesseldorf, killing all 150 people on board. The victims included babies, exchange students, two opera singers and football reporters.
A memorial service is due to take place later on Wednesday in Haltern, Germany, for the 16 exchange students and their two teachers who died.
None of the victims were found intact after the plane's 700kph (430mph) impact, but different strands of DNA have been identified at the site. Teams are still searching for a second flight recorder.
Lufthansa said on Tuesday it had set aside $300m (â‚¬280m; Â£200m) to deal with possible costs from the crash, as French aviation investigators said they were examining "systemic weaknesses" that could have led to the disaster.
Andreas Lubitz: Germanwings co-pilot
Who was Andreas Lubitz?


Hearts have signed striker Abiola Dauda on loan after agreeing to sell top-scorer Osman Sow for a fee in excess of £1m to an as yet un-named Chinese club.

Dauda, 27, a Nigerian with Swedish citizenship, arrives on loan from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem until the end of the season.
He has previously won league titles with Red Star Belgrade in Serbia and Kalmar in Sweden.
"He's got pace, power, I'm sure he'll score goals," said Robbie Neilson.
The Hearts coach added:. "The fans will see a top quality player who's played at the top level in three European countries.
"He was our number one target at the start of the month but we thought the deal wasn't going to happen, but it was back on again and I'm delighted to get him."
Dauda declared himself "really happy" after concluding negotiations.
"I spoke with Robbie on the phone and he told me he has followed me for quite a while now, and as a player it is a dream to hear a coach say that," he told the Hearts website.
"Now I have to go on the pitch and show him he made the right decision. I'm really looking forward to meeting my team-mates and learning the team's style of play."
The Sow deal is yet to be completed, with the winter transfer window running longer in China.
The 25-year-old Swede moved to Tynecastle on a two-year deal in the summer of 2014 following a 12-month stint at Crystal Palace.
He has scored 11 goals in 27 games this season for the Premiership side, after netting 12 goals in his first term at Hearts as they ran away with the Championship title.
The Edinburgh club have also signed former Watford, Cardiff and Wigan midfielder Don Cowie and sent Morgaro Gomis on loan to Motherwell.


Ministers at Holyrood and Westminster have pledged to "work together" to ensure the "safe transfer" of new welfare powers to Scotland.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell and Scotland's economy minister Keith Brown said they had had "productive" talks.
Powers over certain aspects of welfare and housing related benefits, including DLA/PIP, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance are to transfer to Holyrood.
The move was agreed in the Scotland Act 2016 which was passed in March.
Mr Mundell and Mr Brown were joined in the discussions, which took place earlier, by UK minister Stephen Crabb and Scotland minister Angela Constance.
A statement issued after the get-together said: "We had a very productive meeting which focussed on the importance of working together to ensure the safe transfer of these important powers, with those who stand to benefit at the forefront of discussions.
"We are pleased to be able to agree that work can progress to quickly commence a number of powers in the Scotland Act and to continue discussing the commencement of the remaining welfare sections in the act."
The ministerial team will continue to meet over the next 12 months as the new powers are devolved.
When the Scottish government receives the new welfare powers, it will be responsible for benefits worth about Â£2.7bn.
Universal Credit, Tax Credits and Child Benefit will continue to be controlled by Westminster. However, Holyrood will be able to make top-up payments to these reserved benefits.


Daniil Medvedev has denied he was accusing umpire Mariana Alves of bias by throwing coins at her chair after his second-round defeat at Wimbledon.

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The 21-year-old, who upset fifth seed Stan Wawrinka on Monday, lost 6-4 6-2 3-6 2-6 6-3 to Belgian Ruben Bemelmans.
The Russian led 2-0 in the decider but became angry at Alves' decisions as he lost five straight games and was docked a point by the umpire.
"I was just frustrated - it has no meaning, I apologise," said Medvedev.
As he was packing up, Medvedev took out his wallet and threw coins at the bottom of the umpire's chair as Alves departed. The world number 49 then left the court without retrieving the money.
He had asked for Alves to be removed in the fifth set but his request was turned down by the match supervisor. Medvedev claims he does not remember what he said during the match.
When asked whether he understood his actions could be interpreted as implying Alves was biased, Medvedev said: "I haven't thought about it and that's not why I did it.
"I was frustrated to lose the match - maybe there were some bad calls, it can happen in sports.
"I was just disappointed and [did] a stupid thing."
Medvedev added it was "not for me to decide" whether he will receive any sanction for his actions.
Bemelmans will face South Africa's Kevin Anderson in the third round.


A 21-year-old woman has been knocked unconscious and robbed in Midlothian.

The woman was attacked at about 23:30 in Bonnyrigg's High Street on Saturday. On waking she found her purse, with bankcard and cash, was stolen.
She was treated by the ambulance service at the scene, after receiving minor head injuries.
There is no description of the attacker as the woman was approached from behind but she believes there was one man involved.
She was walking at a venal near to the RBS ATM machine when she was assaulted.
Det Con James Welsh, of Police Scotland, said: "This was an extremely distressing incident for the young woman involved and we're urging anyone who may have witnessed the incident, seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area at the time of the incident, or who has any information which can help with our inquiries, to come forward."


Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murder over the shooting of a man at a meat market.

Thomas Baker, known as Tommy, was found badly injured at Stanley Meat Market in the Old Swan area of Liverpool on 27 January.
The 44-year-old, from Everton, had been shot in the head and chest. He died later in hospital.
The three Liverpool men arrested - two aged 29 and the other 32 - remain in police custody for questioning.
Merseyside Police said Mr Baker had left Phoenix Gym at the market shortly before he was shot while getting into his car.
Detectives believe those involved in the shooting had been waiting outside the gym for about an hour.
Det Ch Insp Bev Hyland said officers were still searching for a silver VW polo, which "left the scene at speed" and travelled along a number of roads including Balmoral Road, Molyneux Road and Queens Road.
She added that a number of people captured on CCTV near the meat market had yet to come forward and while "they may not think what they saw would be of any significance, they could have information which is key to our inquiries".


Rapper Kanye West has cancelled all remaining dates on his Saint Pablo tour, two days after abandoning a show in Sacramento.

The star had performed just three songs on Saturday night, before embarking on an unscripted rant, criticising Facebook, Jay Z and Hillary Clinton.
He also claimed Beyonce would only agree to play the MTV Awards if she was given the video of the year prize.
After cancelling Sunday's show in LA, West has now scrapped all future dates.
"Tickets will be fully refunded within 5-7 business days," promoters Live Nation tweeted.
Los Angeles Times' music writer Gerrick Kennedy had previously alluded to the news on Twitter: "Just got word from a source that @kanyewest informed his crew that remaining dates of US #SaintPabloTour are nixed."
No reason has been given for the cancellation.
The Saint Pablo tour, in which West performed above the stage on an innovative "floating" platform, was scheduled for a further 21 dates before the end of 2016.
A much-rumoured European leg of the tour will now be cast into doubt.
Although West's on stage behaviour has often been erratic, the star has perhaps been under added stress since his wife, Kim Kardashian, was robbed at gunpoint in Paris in October.
He learned of the incident while performing in New York and abruptly left the stage to be by her side.
West then cancelled several dates the following week but when the tour resumed in his hometown, Chicago, he appeared content to let the music do the talking.
Nearly a dozen dates passed without incident, until a show in Oakland on 22 October, when he called the Grammys "rigged" and lambasted the New York Post for publishing a story claiming Jay Z had called West a "nut job".
"A crazy person can't do all this," he said. "A crazy person can't make this floating stage."
"Stop writing negative [articles] about me and help me help people," he added.
He ended the night by lecturing the crowd on politics, at one point claiming: "We were brought over here as slaves, and Lincoln turned us into unpaid interns."
On 4 November, he cut a show short after his voice failed, telling fans. "I'm so hoarse I can't finish the show. I'll give everyone a refund."
Then, last Thursday, West embarked on what local reports called a "25-minute-long rant" in which he voiced frustration with politics and told the crowd: "If I would have voted, I would have voted for Trump."
"I wanted to say that before the election, but they told me, 'Whatever you do, don't say that aloud,'" he added.
Angry fans responded by booing the star and throwing items on stage.
On Saturday, he began his rant by complaining how radio stations favoured certain acts over others.
He later criticised Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg for failing to give him $53m (Â£42.5m) to get out of debt and said he was hurt that Jay Z failed to visit his family after last month's robbery.
West then appeared to suggest that Jay Z employed hitmen, saying: "Jay Z, I know you got killers, please don't send them at my head".
"I've been sent here to give y'all my truth - even at the risk of my own life, even at the risk of my own success, my own career.
"Get ready to have a field day, press, because the show's over" he said, as he dropped his microphone and walked out of the concert.
Ticketholders were given a refund.
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The families of 10 people shot dead by the Army in west Belfast in 1971 are to start civil proceedings against the Ministry of Defence.

They are due hold a vigil outside the MoD later and hand a letter in to Downing Street.
The Ballymurphy families represent 10 people killed in west Belfast as the government introduced internment.
In September, they walked out of a meeting with Secretary of State James Brokenshire.
They had urged him to release funds for inquests into the shootings.
Speaking before travelling to London, John Teggart, whose father was one of those shot dead, said: "The outcome that we would hope that those responsible - the MoD the paratroopers - will admit what happened and admit responsibility."


Shrewsbury claimed their first home League One victory since October to move out of the relegation zone.

Mid-table Rochdale fell behind when Shaun Whalley drilled a low shot past Josh Lillis from just inside the area.
The hosts doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Whalley's corner was headed in at the far post by skipper Nat Knight-Percival.
Jayson Leutwiler saved a long-range Ian Henderson drive to help Shrewsbury to a third clean sheet in four league games.
Shrewsbury Town manager Micky Mellon told BBC Radio Shropshire:
"We've not won enough games here over the course of the season. It was important that we started to do that and it was a thoroughly deserved win.
"The players were anxious to do well. We could feel that. We changed the shape a little bit and it probably allowed us to freshen it up in different areas.
"The lads that have come in have added to the energy levels and got us going. The crowd, who we asked to get behind us, were terrific. They've helped as well."
Rochdale manager Keith Hill told BBC Radio Manchester:
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"We didn't start on the front foot. I don't think we can concede ground to Shrewsbury like we did in the first 20 minutes or so.
"I don't feel as though we've been anywhere near the way that we started the last four games. Both goals are sloppy.
"I feel as though we rode our luck in the first half. Every player has got to turn up individually and say 'right, I'm going to win my battle'."


A statistic in March provoked outrage in the US media about inequality.

Research from the Institute for Policy Studies found that in 2014, bonuses paid to Wall Street employees had been double the annual pay earned by all Americans who worked full-time at the federal minimum wage.
So, 167,800 Wall Street employees were paid $28.5bn (£18.2bn) in bonuses, while 1,007,000 full-time minimum wage earners made about $14bn.
One particularly eye-catching blog on the subject carried the headline: "If You Own a Pitchfork, You Will Grab It When You See This Chart".
I wondered if this statistic was also true in the UK.
The best proxy we have for the Wall Street bonus pool is the ONS figure for bonuses paid in the finance and insurance sector, the most recent figure for which was £14.4bn in the financial year 2013-14.
The Low Pay Commission says that excluding apprenticeships there were 1.3 million jobs in 2014 that paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) of which 40% were full-time, so that's about 520,000 jobs.
Assuming everyone earned the highest level of minimum wage, the average level of the NMW for 2013-14 was £6.25.
If we assume that they worked 37.5 hours a week (that's the average number of full-time hours given in the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings for 2014) and that they work 48 weeks a year, their total earnings come to £5.9bn, which is less than half the amount paid in bonuses by the finance and insurance sector - it's about 40%.
Before you go and buy a pitchfork, remember that there are differences between this figure and the US one. For example, the bonuses in the UK finance and insurance sector were shared between more than a million employees - considerably more than on Wall Street. There were people paid very high bonuses but also people paid much more modest ones. The average overall was £13,300, but I would expect that to mask quite a range.
But the other question is, what is this an indicator for and what would make it rise or fall?
So, for example, imagine that 100,000 people earning minimum wage suddenly received a pay rise of £1 an hour. They would no longer be earning minimum wage, so the total amount paid to workers on the minimum wage would fall considerably and as a result the amount paid out in bonuses would be a higher multiple of it. But it would be hard to argue that their pay rise had increased inequality.
Nonetheless, if you were outraged by the figure from the US then you will be just as outraged that the same appears to be true in the UK.


A relic of one of Britain's worst shipping disasters, anonymously given to a BBC reporter, is to be put on display while its future is decided.

The bell of the SS Mendi, which sank off the Isle of Wight in 1917, was left in Swanage on Thursday.
It is thought to have been stripped from the wreck by divers in the 1980s.
The sinking claimed the lives of more than 600 black South African labourers who were sailing to support British troops in the First World War.
Read more on this and other stories from across the south of England
BBC reporter Steve Humphrey found the bell in a plastic bag at Swanage Pier after the anonymous donor phoned him on Wednesday.
A note in the bag read: "If I handed it in myself it might not go to the rightful place.
"This needs to be sorted out before I pass away as it could get lost."
Maritime archaeologist John Gribble, who has surveyed the ship, said the bell was probably genuine.
"The bell has never been reported found, but given the extent to which the site was stripped of non-ferrous metals in the past I'd be very surprised if the bell was still on the wreck," Mr Gribble said.
"The bell looks right. It's the right sort of size for a bell of that period."
The SS Mendi sank on 21 February 1917 when it was accidentally rammed in thick fog by the Royal Mail packet-boat SS Darro.
A government inquiry said the Darro failed to lower lifeboats, leaving 646 men to drown.
Most of the dead were members of the South African Native Labour Corps (SANLC), heading to France to carry out manual labour on the Western Front.
The Darro's captain, who was blamed for the tragedy by the Board of Trade, was handed a one-year suspension of his master's certificate.
The story became a symbol of racial injustice in South Africa, where successive white-led governments discouraged annual Mendi Day commemorations.
In 1995, the Queen and Nelson Mandela unveiled a memorial to the Mendi victims in Soweto.
The bell has been moved to Southampton's museum service for safekeeping and will be put on display at the SeaCity Museum next week.
The official Receiver of Wreck said a decision about its permanent housing would be made in due course.
The South African government, which is attempting to recover Mendi artefacts, has been approached for comment.
17 February 1917 - SS Mendi sinks after a Royal Mail packet-boat, the SS Darro, ploughs into her at full speed in thick fog
1974 - Divers identify the wreck, 11 nautical miles (20km) south west of St Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight
1995 - Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II unveil the Mendi Memorial in Soweto
2003 - The Mendi Medal is introduced as South Africa's highest honour for bravery
2007-08 - Two surveys carried out by English Heritage
2009 - Ministry of Defence designates the wreck as a protected war grave, making it an offence to remove items


Northampton earned a bonus-point win over Castres to end the French side's hopes of a place in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals.

Saints were already out of contention, while the visitors needed two wins from their final two games to keep alive their chance of progressing.
Castres fought back from 13 points down to level in the second half.
But Tom Wood's try, adding to scores from Teimana Harrison and Stephen Myler, handed Northampton the win.
Leinster became the first team to qualify for the last eight of the competition on Friday, and will progress as Pool Four winners.
The visitors fell behind after only two minutes when Harrison crashed over from close range and Myler converted from the tee.
Rory Kockott landed a penalty for Castres, before they lost Jody Jenneker to the sin bin for a maul infringement, but the French side took the lead for the first time thanks to Alexandre Bias' unconverted try in the corner.
Saints regained the lead through Myler's score and Harrison's second to go in 21-8 ahead at the break.
In a dominant second-half performance, full-back Julien Dumora seized on a gap in the Northampton defence to cross for Castres, and Kockott landed a conversion and two penalties to make it 21-21.
A Myler drop-goal attempt then came off the posts, before Wood went over from a driving maul to earn Saints the bonus point and extend their unbeaten record to five games in all competitions.
Northampton Saints: Ben Foden; Juan Pablo Estelles, Luther Burrell, Harry Mallinder, George North; Stephen Myler, Nic Groom; Alex Waller, Mikey Haywood, Kieran Brookes; Courtney Lawes, Christian Day; Tom Wood (capt), Jamie Gibson, Teimana Harrison.
Replacements: Charlie Clare, Ethan Waller, Paul Hill, James Craig, Ben Nutley, Lee Dickson, JJ Hanrahan, Ahsee Tuala.
Castres Olympique: Geoffrey Palis; Horacio Agulla, Afusipa Taumoepeau, Robert Ebersohn, David Smith; Julien Dumora, Rory Kockott (capt); Mihaita Lazar, Jody Jenneker, Damien Tussac, Loic Jacquet, Victor Moreaux, Yannick Caballero, Alexandre Bias, Maama Vaipulu.
Replacements: Brice Mach, Antoine Tichit, Daniel Kotze, Rodrigo Capo Ortega, Antoine Dupont, Benjamin Urdapilleta, Steve Mafi, Thomas Combezou.
For the latest rugby union news follow @bbcrugbyunion on Twitter.


A group of 70 retailers have agreed a plan to conduct inspections of garment factories in Bangladesh in an attempt to improve safety standards.

They will provide details of factories they source goods from, which will be inspected within the next nine months.
Funds will be made available for any safety upgrades needed at the units.
The legally-binding code was announced earlier this year after the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh in April killed more than 1,100 people.
The eight-storey Rana Plaza building came crashing down on 24 April, a day after cracks had been spotted in the building.
It was the deadliest in a series of accidents that have resulted in global attention being focussed on safety standards in Bangladesh's garments export industry, the second biggest in the world after China's.
Several big names, including Sweden's H&M, the biggest buyer of Bangladeshi-made clothes, signed up to the code after the incident.
It requires them not just to meet minimum fire and building safety standards, but also to pay for them.
Other signatories include Inditex, which owns Zara, Benetton, Metro, Carrefour, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Esprit and Abercrombie & Fitch.
"This historic, legally binding accord will effect tangible change on the ground and help make the Bangladeshi garment industry safe and sustainable," said Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL, a labour group which played a key role in creating the pact.
Mr Raina added that the factory fires and collapses in Bangladesh over the past few years indicated that efforts by individual retailers had "proved insufficient" in addressing the issue.
"A profound change is possible only with a strong coalition between trade unions, international brands and retailers, Bangladeshi authorities and employers, and with worker involvement in the workplace with guaranteed freedom of association."
The International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, said UK companies needed to play their part in helping raise standards: "British business must be a force for good in the developing world too, so that together we can help end aid dependency through jobs."
She said she had been talking to business leaders from the retail industry to decide how they could work with the government to improve supply chains, in order to ensure clothes were produced responsibly and conditions were improved.
Last month, US suspended trade privileges extended to Bangladesh over concerns about dangerous working conditions and labour rights.
This decision was taken after a year-long review of labour practices and workplace safety in Bangladesh.


Donald Trump's US election victory caused shockwaves on Mexican and Brazilian markets, with the countries' respective currencies taking a battering.

And that could be a foretaste of things to come: not just the US's so-called "backyard", but emerging markets in general are bracing themselves for the economic effects of Donald Trump's US election victory.
Mr Trump does not become president until 20 January, and so far, we know little about the economic policies that he will actually put into practice.
But analysts are watching for at least three factors that could have contradictory and clashing effects.
This is the big issue that caused the Mexican peso to plummet 12% against the dollar in the immediate aftermath of the election result.
It has since recovered a little, but the pressure on the currency has been severe since August, when Mr Trump began rising in the opinion polls.
It has already led the Mexican central bank to increase interest rates sharply and more rate rises are likely in future.
The fear is that Mr Trump will deliver on his campaign pledge for a complete renegotiation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), which links the US with Mexico and Canada.
Since Nafta came into being in 1994, the Mexican economy has become ever more closely intertwined with that of its northern neighbour, and any changes to the agreement would have a wrenching effect.
However, any rewriting of Nafta would have to be approved by Congress and could not be enacted unilaterally by the president.
Elsewhere, the Brazilian real was also hard hit by Mr Trump's victory, tumbling nearly 9% in four days.
However, there are signs that Brazil's caretaker government is using the currency turmoil as cover for its plans to push through a series of key economic reforms, and in any case, the real is still higher against the dollar than it was at the start of the year.
Mr Trump has talked of imposing punitive tariffs on imports, particularly Chinese and Mexican ones. In the case of Mexico, he would not have to redraft Nafta in order to do this and would have more leeway to act by himself.
If the US does choke off trade with its neighbours in an attempt to curb imports and boost job creation, there could be unintended consequences in another oft-overlooked part of its "backyard": the Caribbean.
Caribbean diplomats point out that although the US is the sub-region's biggest trading partner, its biggest source of aid is now China.
Any damage to the Caribbean's trade with the US would simply drive it further into the Chinese embrace. And if the US thinks communist Cuba is a big geopolitical problem now, they argue, then just wait until the whole English-speaking Caribbean is looking to Beijing instead of Washington.
This part has some good and bad aspects for emerging markets.
In his victory speech, Mr Trump promised to give a big boost to the US's ailing infrastructure, which he said would become "second to none".
If this and other fiscal stimulus pledges gain the upper hand over his protectionist impulses, that could boost imports from other countries.
These two opposing tendencies reflect tensions in the minds of the voters who cast their ballots for the Republican candidate.
On the one hand, they fear for their livelihoods and see free-trade deals as a sure-fire way of destroying US jobs, by making it more profitable to move them overseas to lower-wage countries.
But on the other hand, as consumers, they benefit from cheap goods made in China and other big manufacturing countries.
So a booming US economy could help emerging markets by stimulating demand for their products.
On the other hand, if that demand overheats, the US Federal Reserve might have to take measures to cool it down, notably by raising interest rates - and that could cause another set of headaches for emerging economies.
This is the flipside of the coin to the currency collapses seen in Brazil and Mexico. As the real and the peso weaken, so the dollar strengthens.
However, this could well turn out to be more than just a temporary blip.
If the pace of US interest rate rises starts to speed up, then this will fortify the value of the dollar, and that causes problems in poorer countries.
True, it makes their goods cheaper for US buyers, but many of them have substantial debt piles denominated in US dollars, so those will cost more to service in their own currencies.
Brazil and Mexico get off lightly here. Brazil certainly has a debt problem, but very little of it is denominated in dollars.
The same goes for Mexico. State oil company Pemex has debts in dollars, but it also earns in dollars too, since oil is priced in the US currency.
On the other hand, Turkey has a lot of foreign debt priced in dollars and would be vulnerable to a further strengthening of the dollar.
This has already had an impact on the value of the Turkish lira, which was in a bad way even before the US election, because the country's political crackdown had led to capital flight.
And Mr Trump could also fuel currency wars by formally accusing China of manipulating the value of the yuan and keeping it artificially low, as he has previously alleged.
Whatever happens, the rising dollar is already the most visible economic effect of a Trump presidency, even before he takes office - and the effect may have only just begun.


London's BBC Television Centre is to be developed into a hotel, flats and offices but will also see the broadcaster make programmes in three of its studios.

The Â£200m development plans for the historic site have revealed the building's forecourt will be opened up to the public.
The main circular building, known to BBC employees as "the doughnut", will become a hotel and apartments.
Studios 1, 2 and 3 will be refitted.
Other buildings will be transformed into offices and houses and the 14-acre site will also house the BBC's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide.
David Camp, chief executive of developers Stanhope, said: "The BBC will continue to have a significant presence at Television Centre and we will be bringing new life into the site with new public routes, spaces and uses."
A statement on Stanhope's website said that some offices would be "aimed at occupiers in the creative sector providing new employment opportunities", adding that there will be "a variety of public uses, including a cinema, health club, restaurants and cafes, which will benefit the local community".
It said the "much-loved listed buildings at Television Centre will be retained", and these include the main circular building and the front flank of Studio 1, which are Grade II listed.
The BBC said six years ago that it wanted to sell the famous west London building, which opened in 1960 and played a central role in its history.
Programmes recorded there include Fawlty Towers, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blue Peter and Strictly Come Dancing, as well as earlier series of Doctor Who.
Other developments for the site include replacing the drama block, restaurant block and multi-storey car park with new residential buildings and townhouses. The East Tower will be replaced with a more slender and differently positioned residential building.
The south of the site will also feature a "village green" of town houses for families with private rear gardens.
Television Centre was built on the former site of the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition and was designed by the architects Norman and Dawbarn, appearing like a question mark in shape.


Two polar guides are set to become the first couple to be officially married in British Antarctic Territory (BAT).

Tom Sylvester and Julie Baum will tie the knot at the Rothera Research Station on Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The ceremony will take place over the weekend and be performed by station leader and BAT magistrate Paul Samways.
Miss Baum said: "Getting married in Antarctica feels like it was meant to be. There is no better place."
The couple will not be holding out for good weather though, with temperatures well below freezing and very little daylight.
Mr Sylvester, from Sheffield, said: "Somebody suggested to me that we should get married in Antarctica and I dismissed it as something that wasn't possible.
"But it turned out that Paul could do it as he's a magistrate and then suddenly it became a possibility and I just jumped at the idea."
He had been due to be stationed at the Halley IV research station but was drafted in to the team at Rotherha after the British Antarctic Survey closed Halley IV for the winter for safety reasons.
The couple, who have been together for 11 years, are among a team of about 20 people who maintain the station during the Antarctic winter.
They are experienced mountaineers and were selected to join the British Antarctic Survey in 2016 to manage deep-field science expeditions.
The wedding celebrations will include a champagne breakfast, short ceremony and a party with live music.
Mr Sylvester added: "We have always wanted to have a small personal wedding, but never imagined we'd be able to get married in one of the most remote places on Earth."
His parents Barbara and Paul will not be at the wedding but said they were "absolutely thrilled".
The marriage will be registered with the BAT Government and will be valid in the UK.


Around 12,000 people have attended a rally in Downpatrick protesting against the reduction of services at the Downe Hospital.

Traffic in the town came to a standstill while farmers showed their support alongside school children, sports clubs, businesses and health workers.
They walked two miles through the town.
From January 2014, the accident and emergency unit at the Downe Hospital has been closed at weekends.
A shortage of qualified emergency doctors was blamed.
Other wards have also seen their bed numbers cut.
Organisers have said the hospital, officially opened in June 2010, was being hit with "never ending cuts".
SDLP MP for South Down Margaret Ritchie has urged the executive to pay attention to "the will of the people" regarding the future of the hospital.
"This march was extremely successful and sends a clear message to the Health Minister that he must restore, enhance and develop services at the Downe," she said.
"The people who showed their support here today will not accept anything less."
The rally organisers want to see the return of a full-time accident and emergency cover, as well as the recovery of coronary care and other wards.


A man who confessed to being addicted to child pornography has been jailed for downloading and sharing thousands of illegal images.

Ian Philip, 57, was caught after his flat was identified as the source of images uploaded to a filesharing site.
During a raid on the flat in Grantham, Lincolnshire Police seized computer equipment found to contain 10,990 indecent images of children.
He was jailed for three and a half years at Lincoln Crown Court.
Robert Sandford, prosecuting, told the court: "He was frank with what he said to the police.
"He was using GigaTribe to share images. He said he would upload images so others could have access to them. He believed he had allowed more than 30 people to access his folder.
"He said he would chat on the site to other like-minded people and they would discuss fantasies. He said he was an addict and needed help."
The court was told Philip had a previous conviction in 2012 for making indecent images and was given a suspended jail sentence.
Philip, 57, of Finkin Street, Grantham, admitted distributing child pornography, together with eight other related charges.
He also admitted breaching conditions of the sex offenders' register.
Judge Michael Heath told him: "You found these images exciting. The great tragedy is that to produce such gratification for people like you, youngsters are grievously abused.
"No one knows the incalculable harm which has been caused to those youngsters by perverted people like you, providing a market for this filth."
Michael Cranmer-Brown, defending, said "He recognises he has a problem and that he needs intensive help to try to prevent him from re-offending.
"His pleas reflect his acceptance of that problem and his remorse for his offending."


The wife and adult children of late actor Robin Williams have agreed to meet outside of court to try and resolve a dispute over his belongings.

A judge has instructed lawyers to take eight weeks to work out disagreements over money and property, including clothes, photographs and movie awards.
Widow Susan Schneider Williams wants the contents of her home to be excluded from items left to his three children.
They were married for five years until the actor's suicide in August 2014.
Schneider Williams filed court papers in December claiming some of her husband's personal items had been taken from the home they shared in Tiburon, California. without her permission.
However his daughter Zelda Williams said in a post on the blogging site Tumblr that she and brothers Zachary and Cody - Williams' children from previous marriages - had not visited the address since their father's death or removed anything from it.
Schneider Williams is seeking items including the tuxedo her husband wore to their 2011 wedding and art and furniture that were wedding gifts.
There is also a dispute over allowances to maintain the house, where she still lives.
Other items under discussion include clothing, watches, photos taken prior to Williams' marriage and memorabilia - including his 1998 Oscar for Good Will Hunting.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Andrew Cheng told lawyers for both sides to meet before 10 April and enlist the help of a mediator if necessary before returning to court on 1 June.
One of the trustees for the estate, Andrew A Bassak, told the judge that the comedian had decided to establish trusts for his heirs and had never meant for a list of possessions to be debated over in public.
Schneider Williams' attorney, James Wagstaffe, told the judge: "We're amicable and no one is raising their voices. It's just that there are 1,200 items on a long spreadsheet which we saw in final form only last week."
Outside court Wagstaffe told reporters: "Robin Williams didn't mean for the house to be gutted, furniture removed and art taken off the walls.
"This is a normal process and there's nothing unusual about this. If the estate is a lake, what Susan is seeking is a bucket."
Williams' children said Schneider Williams was "adding insult to a terrible injury" by trying to change the trust agreement and rob them of items that their father clearly intended them to have.
"This has dragged on so long," their lawyer Meredith Bushnell told the judge.
"It's been eight long months since his passing. We'd like to see this wrapped up as soon as possible so they can move on with their lives and continue the grieving process."


Reading have signed Bournemouth striker Lewis Grabban, West Ham defender Reece Oxford and Crystal Palace midfielder Jordon Mutch on loan.

All three have joined the Championship side until the end of the season.
Oxford, 18, made his Hammers debut in the Europa League when he was just 16 and signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal with his parent club in December.
Mutch, 25, has played eight times for Palace this season while Grabban, 29, has made just six appearances.
All three players could feature for the Championship promotion hopefuls against Ipswich on Saturday.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page or visit our Premier League tracker here.


Turkey's foreign minister says his country expects "solidarity and support from our Nato allies," when alliance members meet in Brussels on Tuesday.

But Nato's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, speaking to the BBC, says "there has been no request for any substantial NATO military support," ahead of the gathering.
So what's it for and what, if anything, is likely to come out of it?
Meetings under Article 4 of the Nato founding treaty (when members feel their "territorial integrity, political independence or security...is threatened") are unusual.
This is only the fifth such occasion in the alliance's history - all meetings except one were called by Turkey.
Coupled with Turkey's recent decision to attack so-called Islamic State (IS) and Kurdish targets and an upsurge of violence inside Turkey, this feels like a consequential moment.
Turkey's long-awaited involvement in the international coalition against IS, flying combat missions and making its vital airbases available to US jets has been described as a possible "game changer."
There are now reports that the US and Turkey are working together on plans to clear IS from parts of northern Syria near to the Turkish border.
But if the government in Ankara continues to see no difference between IS and the Kurdish PKK - a position repeated on Monday by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu - then its latest move presents the rest of the coalition, in particular the Americans, with a dilemma.
For almost a year, Kurdish rebels (the YPG, closely allied with the PKK) have represented Washington's best hope for confronting IS on the ground in Syria.
Since the battle for the border town of Kobane, late last year, the Pentagon has forged a successful working relationship with the YPG.
But Turkey has no interest in promoting Kurdish success along its southern border, at a time when its own unresolved Kurdish conflict threatens to explode once more.
In response to Kurdish accusations that Turkish forces shelled YPG positions east and west of Kobane, Turkish officials said the Syrian Kurds were "outside the scope" of current military operations.
But the suspicion lingers that Ankara may be looking to exploit its new status as an active participant in the campaign against IS to win support for - or at least mute criticism of - its ongoing battle with the Kurds.
Having requested a Nato meeting, it hopes its concerns about renewed PKK violence, including the killing of two police officers, will fall on sympathetic ears.
But Mr Stoltenberg has indicated that Nato's support cannot be unconditional.
Self-defence, he told the BBC on Sunday, "has to be proportionate."
US officials, too, seem anxious to dispel the impression that Washington might have given Ankara a green light for its actions against the Kurds.
Brett McGurk, the deputy special presidential envoy to the coalition against IS, said there was "no connection" between Turkey's airstrikes on PKK positions in Iraq and recent understandings on how to tackle IS.
But there's the rub: the only Nato member with a front row seat in the war in Syria has always had a very different take on how how to handle the conflict.
Its "connections" are not necessarily that same as everyone else's "connections."
Earlier this year, President Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, told Congress that Turkey had "other priorities and other interests" and could not be relied upon to join the fight against IS.
Despite an apparent change of heart, Turkey still sees President Assad as the main problem, not IS.
And after decades of bloody conflict with its own Kurdish population, it's almost pathologically opposed to anything that serves Kurdish interests across the border.
The recent agreement between Washington and Ankara raises the possibility that some of these differences may now be narrower.
But tight-lipped American and Turkish officials are still working on the details.
Presumably these will also be discussed in Brussels.


Justin Bieber was the big winner at MTV's EMAs - or European Music Awards - scooping five awards.

The pop star won best male, best North American act, best collaboration for Where Are You Now?, with Skrillex and Diplo, biggest fans and best look.
One Direction won the prize for best pop, Taylor Swift's Bad Blood won best song and Rihanna was named best female.
Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran hosted the ceremony in Milan on Sunday - and took home the prize for best live act.
He also won the best world stage award for his performance at last year's V Festival.
Accepting his best male award, Bieber said: "It's been a long couple of years, um, I just feel like this is pretty awesome to be recognised for my music."
He has had a number of legal run-ins, including being arrested last year on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Sydney pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer scooped the best worldwide act (Australia/New Zealand) award for the second year in a row.
The She's Kinda Hot singers, who supported One Direction on their Australian tour, thanked their fans via video message.
Ruby Rose, fellow Australian export and star of Orange is the New Black, opened the MTV EMAs alongside Ed Sheeran.
Veteran pop stars Duran Duran were honoured with the inaugural MTV Video Visionary Award.
"When we started there was us and MTV and we blazed a trail and we were there for each other," said singer Simon Le Bon as he collected the award.
A surprise winner in the best video category was hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
"I had no idea we were going to win an award," said Macklemore.
"We're not on a major label; we don't have a big budget. What you guys give to us, we give back to you in the art we make."


The government has drafted in senior officials to support the Commonwealth amid concerns over the way it is being run, the BBC has learned.

The Department for International Development (DfID) said last month the secretariat in London was "under performing" and needed "urgent reform".
Senior diplomatic and political sources - speaking to the BBC off the record - have accused the secretary-general, Lady Scotland, of "poor leadership".
But her spokesman said she had backing from all 52 Commonwealth countries that had elected her.
He added that the Labour peer had also launched a programme to modernise the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Tim Hitchens, a senior Foreign Office official and former ambassador to Japan, has been put in charge of a team preparing for the Commonwealth summit in London next year.
Mr Hitchens, a former assistant private secretary to the Queen, will be based in the Cabinet Office and will report directly to the prime minister.
Sir Simon Gass, a very senior official who retired from the Foreign Office last year, has been made acting chief operating officer at the Commonwealth Secretariat.
He was appointed at the suggestion of the Foreign Office which is funding his salary. He is working directly with Lady Scotland at the secretariat's headquarters at Marlborough House in London.
The appointments are being seen in Whitehall as an attempt by the government to shore up a troubled organisation at a crucial time.
Ministers are keen to ensure that a meeting of Commonwealth trade ministers in London in March is a success and shows how Britain after Brexit can do more trade with countries outside the European Union.
They also want to guarantee that the secretariat is capable of organising the heads of government summit next year that will be hosted by the Queen, who is head of the Commonwealth.
Senior ministers will meet next week to discuss the agenda for the summit for the first time.
Last week, Theresa May spoke of the "unique and proud global relationships" the UK has through the Commonwealth.
The secretariat helps run the group of 52 mostly former British colonies that make up the Commonwealth and that are home to some 2.3 billion people, more than a quarter of the world's population.
In a highly critical report in December, DfID threatened to withdraw its funding from the organisation unless it improved its performance.
"The Commonwealth Secretariat continues to under perform," the multilateral aid review concluded.
"Improvement is essential if DfID is to continue to fund the organisation's Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co-operation."
This is worth about Â£20m per year.
The report added that the secretariat needed particularly to focus on improving "transparency, results measurement, human resource management, risk management, financial management, and budget discipline".
The secretariat said the review related to the period before Lady Scotland took up the post of secretary-general last April.
Since then, the peer - who was attorney general in Gordon Brown's government - has faced much criticism.
She has been accused of financial extravagance over the refurbishment of her official residence and attacked for appointing political allies to key posts in the secretariat. She has always denied the accusations of wasteful spending and insisted no procurement rules were broken.
Her allies have also claimed the attacks were prompted by disaffected Commonwealth staff unhappy with the reforms she was introducing.
A spokesman for the secretariat said: "Secretary-general Patricia Scotland has the backing of the 52 Commonwealth member states who elected her.
"Since taking office on 1 April 2016, the Secretary-general has been focused on helping Commonwealth countries to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, working towards the delivery of international climate change goals set out after Cop 21 in Paris and Cop 22 in Marrakesh, and to uphold The Commonwealth Charter."
"She has identified the following priorities: tackling the existential threat of climate change; promoting trade, good governance and human rights; ending violence against women and girls and promoting gender equality; and providing new opportunities for Commonwealth young people and enabling the next generation to achieve their full potential.
"Secretary-general Scotland has also launched a programme to modernise the Commonwealth Secretariat.
"When it comes to employee matters, we follow best international practice and never comment about individual staff. But it's only sensible that the Secretariat employs people of the highest calibre and those who have a track record of success in their respective fields."
But such are the concerns about Lady Scotland that some senior diplomats have even interpreted the fact that the Queen will not attend a major Commonwealth function in March as a signal of royal displeasure, something that is strongly denied.
The Queen will attend various events on Commonwealth Day, including a service at Westminster Abbey, but she will not attend the regular reception at Marlborough House, an event she rarely misses.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman told the BBC: "I can confirm that the Queen will be taking part in events during the course of Commonwealth Day, although on this occasion she will not attend the evening reception. Her Majesty will be represented at the reception by the Prince of Wales."
Well placed royal sources said this was a common sense and practical decision to ensure the Queen's programme was suitably paced on a busy day.
They also insisted it was wholly incorrect to link the decision to any debate about the Commonwealth Secretariat.
They noted that the Queen had regular contact with Lady Scotland and that there was a lot  of precedence for the Prince of Wales to represent the Queen on Commonwealth duties.
But that is not how it is being inferred by some in the Commonwealth.
One senior source said: "The Queen has only got to nip down the road from Buckingham Palace to Marlborough House in a Bentley. It's not that hard. And yet she has decided not to come.
"The Palace are thinking there is so much more to be done with the Commonwealth and yet they are lumbered with such poor leadership. The Commonwealth is stuffed.
"The High Commissioners have all given up on (Lady Scotland). They have other fish to fry. I do wonder if she can survive. She just treats people appallingly. And she has this political tin ear."
One parliamentary source said: "Baroness Scotland has got this wrong from the beginning. It is an inbuilt arrogance. She appoints mates, people who don't have the relevant experience.
"The way she handled the [official] house was all wrong. There is a lot of concern. I am not surprised the palace is getting a little edgy."
Another diplomatic source said: "What is happening is very sad. The morale at the secretariat is very low. [The Commonwealth] is the closest thing to Her Majesty's heart. If she doesn't come, it will be interpreted in this way.
"We in the Commonwealth preach transparency and accountability. We should practise it."


David Cameron says he is "fast losing patience" with delays in the publication of the Iraq Inquiry report.

Sir John Chilcot, who chairs the inquiry, has written to the PM saying he cannot set a timetable for the release of the report.
Sir John says the inquiry is waiting for a number of witnesses to provide responses to a draft of criticism they may face in the final document.
The inquiry was set up in 2009 and was meant to report in 2011.
Replying to Sir John's letter, Mr Cameron says he is "disappointed" there is no timetable for the report to be completed.
"Since the establishment of the inquiry nearly six years ago, the British public, in particular those who served in Iraq or lost loved ones in the conflict have been awaiting the results of your work," he wrote.
"They, and I, had hoped for the publication of your report by now and we are fast losing patience."
Mr Cameron is limited in what he can do to speed up the publication of the report because the Chilcot inquiry, which has cost Â£10m so far, is independent - a fact acknowledged by Downing Street.
The SNP's leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson, raised the issue at Prime Minister's Questions, where Chancellor George Osborne was standing in for David Cameron.
"I asked the Chancellor if he felt a moral and political responsibility for getting to the bottom of this calamitous war and its consequences," said Mr Robertson in a statement.
"This inquiry needs to be published in full - and as a matter of urgency. Abandoning it would be wholly unacceptable.
"Answers are long overdue, and the continued delays to the publication of this report are a democratic outrage."
Mr Osborne told the SNP MP the Chilcot inquiry was "completely independent of government and we do not determine when it publishes its conclusions".
"But where I agree with the honourable gentleman is this: it has been a long time coming.  And people, I think, are running out of patience. They want to see that report."
Sir John said his inquiry was in the "Maxwellisation phase", where witnesses are invited to respond to a draft of criticism they may face in the final report.
Sir John has written to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, saying the inquiry has received a "large proportion" of the responses it expected from witnesses.
"The responses have been constructive. In a number of cases they have opened up new issues or referred to material that was not part of the evidence submitted to the inquiry, which we are considering with care," he said.
He says it is "essential" that the remaining witnesses respond, so the inquiry can finish its work.
"Only when all responses are in our possession and have been evaluated will I be able to write to you with a realistic timetable for completion."
Conservative MP Jake Berry said Sir John should consider resigning from the inquiry if he cannot announce when he will publish a final report and consider making an interim report public.
The Rossendale and Darwen MP has written to Mr Cameron demanding that nobody who could be implicated in the inquiry should be given a public job or receive an honour until its publication.
He told the BBC: "This repeated delay potentially putting the report back to six years I think is completely unacceptable and he should... if he is unable to deliver consider his position."