Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has indicated he will press the chancellor to give public sector staff more pay.

He made the comments following a speech in which he praised the way NHS staff and the other emergency services responded to the recent terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire.
He said, in particular, he had "a great deal of sympathy" for the case made by nurses for an end to the pay cap.
The cap means public sector staff rises are limited to 1% a year until 2019.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats promised to scrap this in their election manifestos, but the Conservatives have so far resisted demands pointing out every 1% pay rise in the NHS costs Â£500m a year.
But in the strongest indication so far that the government is prepared to rethink its approach, government sources confirmed to the BBC it was on the agenda.
Mr Hunt told a conference of NHS managers in Liverpool he would be putting the case to Philip Hammond personally.
He said he had a "great deal of sympathy for the case that has been made on pay" because of the "enormous amount of goodwill and time given free of charge" by staff.
"I've had a very constructive letter from Janet Davies from the Royal College of Nursing. I will be meeting with her and will make sure the conversation is reflected back to the chancellor before we make that decision."
It came after he described the actions of the emergency services to the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester and then this week's response to the fire in west London as "remarkable".
"I had the privilege of seeing first hand what that response was. We had operating theatres being opened up in the middle of the night, we had doctors cycling into work at 02:00 to report for duty, we had the extraordinary work of the paramedics, some of them running into live gunfire thinking they were being targeted but not stopping."
The RCN has already warned the government it should prepare for a "summer of protests" unless it backs down on nurses' pay.
The union said a combination of pay freezes and caps has meant that nurses have had a 14% pay cut since 2010.
They have also blamed this for a shortage of staff - research by the union shows that one in nine nurses' posts are vacant.
Mr Hunt also said securing the rights of NHS staff from the EU would be "top of the list" when Brexit negotiations start.
It comes after figures released this week by the Nursing and Midwifery Council showed the number of nurses and midwives applying to work in the UK had slowed to a virtual standstill since the EU referendum.
This April, only 46 joined the register, compared to an average of more than 1,000 between April and July last year.


A gel that "sticks" to affected tissue and delivers medicine gradually over time could help treat some inflammatory bowel problems, researchers say.

Patients with ulcerative colitis often have to rely on medicine given by enema, but this can be uncomfortable, messy and inconvenient.
Now a US team has developed a hydrogel that attaches to ulcers and slowly releases a drug to help treat them.
The early findings are reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Ulcerative colitis is the most common form of inflammatory bowel disease and mainly affects young people.
It causes inflammation and ulceration of the inner lining of the rectum and colon.
Symptoms include:
Medicines taken orally are often broken down before they reach the affected area.
Delivering the drug more directly through an enema - which has to be done regularly - can also be difficult and inconvenient for patients.
To overcome this problem, US researchers took a gel called ascorbyl palmitate, which is safe and already approved for use in humans.
In tests in mice and on bowel tissue from patients with the disease, the gel was shown to selectively attach to areas of inflammation.
The gel could also be loaded with a corticosteroid drug used to treat inflammation.
They designed the drugs to be held in place until the gel was broken down by enzymes present in inflamed tissue.
Experiments showed the drug was released at sites of inflammation and, in mice, could be given every other day rather than daily.
The team also used lower concentrations of the drug in the bloodstream compared with traditional enemas so reducing the exposure - and possible side-effects - in other areas of the body.
Study leader Dr Jeff Karp, from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said the next step was to test a different drug commonly used in the clinic and if that went well, to start trials in humans within a couple of years.
"We're hopeful that this technology will allow patients to take an enema once a week rather than every day and without systemic side-effects or the need to retain the enema, as the gel quickly attaches to ulcers, ultimately improving their quality of life," he said.
Dr Ayesha Akbar, a consultant gastroenterologist specialising in inflammatory bowel diseases and spokeswoman for the British Gastroenterology Society, said it was an interesting and exciting concept.
"The idea does make complete sense, especially for patients with ulcerative colitis," she said.


In less than a month, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan, Baqaa, has witnessed two funerals for jihadists killed in Syria.

They were among dozens who flocked into Syria to fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Since the Syrian armed uprising began - after months of peaceful protest - jihadists aiming to establish an Islamic state by violent means started to show their presence in the country.
The jihadists are largely travelling to Syria from neighbouring countries, including Jordan.
Last February, al-Qaeda's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called on militants in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to rise up and support what he called "their brothers in Syria".
Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi, a prominent Jordanian jihadist ideologue, told the BBC that "jihad in Syria is obligatory for any able Muslim in order to help his brothers there."
It seems that the conflict in Syria is affecting Jordan and other neighbouring countries, and jihadists could be a major component of it, similar to Iraq after the US invasion in 2003.
On 20 October, the authorities in Jordan said they had arrested 11 militants alleged to have planned attacks on Western diplomats and shopping centres in the capital, Amman.
Government spokesman Samih Maayta said the suspects had brought weapons from Syria, and al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq had helped them manufacture explosives.
Jihadists call the funerals of individuals who have been killed in jihadist battlefields a "martyr's wedding" in which they do not exchange condolences but congratulations on a person becoming a martyr.
The first funeral or "wedding" in Baqaa was for Montaser Bayrouti, who was described in a big banner as "Lover of Virgins" - an allusion to the reward some Muslims believe awaits martyrs in Heaven.
Mr Bayrouti was said to have been killed in Aleppo in mid-September. He came to Jordan from the West Bank to study Sharia in Yarmouk University in Irbid, the country's third largest city.
The other funeral was for two friends - Nasser Dalqamoni and Mahmoud Abdel Aal. It was announced that both were killed in Daraa on 12 October.
Once again, Irbid city came to be mentioned in jihadist profiles - Abdel Aal was the son-in-law of Mr al-Tahawi, who is based in the city.
Irbid is located on the border with Syria. But Mr al-Tahawi denied a geographical dimension for the jihadists flowing into Syria to wage jihad.
He said: "All Jordan is near to Syria. The distance between Amman and Syria is just 80km (50 miles)."
However, the role of jihadists in Jordan increased remarkably after the Iraq invasion in 2003. This can be seen with increasing numbers of foiled attacks in the country since then.
During the period of 1991-2003, for example, Jordanian courts ruled in 10 large cases related to Salafi-jihadists, but from 2003-2008, however, that number more than doubled to 22.
Several failed attacks were attempted in Irbid during this period and, more importantly, the city emerged as a transit point for Salafi-jihadists heading to Iraq or Lebanon between the years 2004-2007, owing to its proximity to the Jordanian-Syrian border.
The jihadists' relationship with the authorities has always been confrontational from the early 1990s, and jihadists have always been a secretive and violent movement. However, after the Arab Spring they appeared otherwise.
Jihadists of Jordan have shown visible participation protesting in the streets of Amman and other major Jordanian cities such as Maan, Salt, Irbid and Zarqa.
They were inspired by the power of the Arab Spring revolutions to effect demonstrable change in several Arab countries.
The jihadist demonstrations in Jordan came to an abrupt end by April when a demonstration after Friday prayers in Zarqa - hometown of the late leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - was followed by clashes.
Violence erupted between jihadists and pro-government Jordanians and security forces, which resulted in some 80 injured policemen.
Jordan's State Security Court charged 146 Islamists in April 2011 with plotting terrorist attacks.
Mr al-Tahawi told the BBC that "even before the Zarqa incident, jihadists were departing to wage jihad in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and also Palestine".
Others, mainly analysts, argue that the failure by jihadists to turn to political activism instead of violence played a significant role in pushing them to find a new jihadi battlefield.
It seems clear that the Syria conflict will have regional effects just as Iraq had a few years ago.


At least five people have been killed and 70 injured by an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza, Palestinians say.

The Israeli military said it had targeted a cache of anti-tank missiles in the hospital's "immediate vicinity".
Meanwhile, Secretary of State John Kerry said the US was sending $47m (£28m) in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On Monday evening Israel said seven of its soldiers had been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of Israeli military dead to 25.
Two Israeli civilians have also died in the recent violence.
The Palestinian death toll from the two-week conflict has now passed 560, the majority of them civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The UN says more than 100,000 Gazans have now been displaced.
Monday's attacks across Gaza killed at least 56 people including 16 children, Gazan health officials said.
Israel says it has killed more than 170 militants since Thursday night, when it launched the ground offensive phase of its two-week old operation to end rocket fire from Gaza.
Ten militants were killed on Monday after using tunnels to get into Israel near the town of Sderot.
Palestinian television showed footage of wounded people being treated after the strike at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
Doctors say several Israeli tank shells hit the hospital's reception, intensive care unit and operating theatres.
Most of the wounded were doctors, according to Palestinian officials.
Appeals have been made to the Red Cross to help evacuate patients from the building, the BBC's Yolande Knell reports from Gaza.
Israel had told residents of neighbouring areas to head to Deir al-Balah for their own safety as its ground offensive continues to target neighbourhoods to the east of Gaza City for a second day, our correspondent adds.
The Israeli army said it had "successfully targeted" a cache of anti-tank missiles in the area.
"Civilian casualties are a tragic inevitability of [Hamas'] brutal and systematic exploitation of homes, hospitals and mosques in Gaza," it said in a statement.
Israel says that approximately 131 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel on Monday, of which at least 108 hit Israel and 17 were intercepted. No casualties were reported from these attacks.
In Egypt, US Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to try to arrange a ceasefire.
Mr Kerry said the US is concerned about the safety of Palestinian civilians, but lent his support to Israel's offensive, saying: "No country can stand by while rockets are attacking it."
He said the US would send $47m (£28m) in aid to Gaza "to try to alleviate some of the immediate humanitarian crisis" while continuing efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with both sides.
The UN Security Council has issued a call for an "immediate cessation of hostilities", but did not endorse a strongly worded draft resolution backed by Arab states.
However, senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said that any ceasefire which did not address the question of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the territory would not be accepted.
"This siege, this unjust siege, must be lifted," he said.
The UN says 43% of Gaza is now "affected by evacuation warnings" or declared a "no-go area". In the past four days, the numbers seeking shelter in UN-run schools shot up by 400%.
The UN is running out of supplies, morgues run out of space, and hospital wards are packed.
As the days go by, there's a sad familiar choreography to Gaza's recurrent wars. As the news gets grimmer, the demands mount for an urgent ceasefire.
And as the chorus of concern grows, both sides know their time may be running out, so military operations escalate, and the human cost deepens.
Shejaiya assault defines grimmest day
More sirens were heard today in Tel Aviv, as rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza target Israeli towns and cities.
Compared to the state-of-the-art weapons Israel is using to bombard Gaza, this is a relatively unsophisticated assault. But the rockets spread fear, and pose a real threat to the security of Israeli citizens.
Israel does have its Iron Dome missile defence system. I watched today as one missile battery shot down several incoming rockets fired by Hamas.
But the Palestinian militant group has also begun attacking Israel on the ground. For the second time in a few days, militants used a tunnel dug under the border to infiltrate Israeli territory.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting are intensifying, but there is a mood in Israel of grim determination.
Palestinian emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said nine members of one family were killed in overnight Israeli attacks on Rafah, on the border with Egypt.
In Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza, at least 23 members of one family died when a building was hit by an Israeli air strike, officials said.
At least 11 people were reported killed in Gaza City in a strike on a high-rise tower.
Israel sent ground troops into Gaza after days of heavy air and naval barrages failed to stop rocket fire.
Israel says the ground operation is necessary to target Hamas' network of tunnels, which have been used by militants to get into Israel and carry out attacks.
But the UN, Palestinians and Arab states have expressed alarm at the number of civilian casualties.


A convenience store in North Ayrshire has been robbed for the second time in five months.

In the latest incident, a man escaped with a three-figure sum after threatening two members of staff with a hammer at McColl's in West Doura Court, Kilwinning, at about 18:20 on Saturday.
Police said the staff were uninjured but "extremely distressed".
In December, a man robbed the same shop at knifepoint while wearing a 'Joker' mask.
The suspect in the latest robbery was described as being white, 5ft 10in, with a stocky build. He was wearing dark trousers and a black hooded top featuring the "McKenzie" logo.
Det Sgt Craig Semple said: "I'd like to speak to anyone who may have seen the suspect hanging around the area prior to the robbery taking place or anyone who saw him running out of the shop afterwards."


Italy's financial industry has approved a government-backed plan to set up a rescue fund to help weaker banks.

The Atlante fund will be made up by private money, reportedly worth €5bn ($5.7bn; £4bn), and will buy up shares and bad debt in struggling banks.
Italy's banking industry is saddled with some €360bn of bad debt, around a third of the eurozone's total.
Investor concern over the strength of the industry has hit banking shares this year.
However, they soared on Monday in anticipation of the news.
Monte dei Paschi di Siene and Banco Popolare - two banks with the worst loan books - both saw their stock rise more than 10%.
The announcement of the fund came from the private fund manager Quaestio Capital Management.
"Following meetings with a vast number of institutional investors, banks, insurers, banking foundations and [state lender] Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Quaestio has gathered many subscribers to launch the Atlante Fund," the fund manager said.
It did not detail the exact size but earlier the chief executive of Banca Popolare, Alessandro Vandelli, said it was worth about €5bn.
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi welcomed the agreement and said that the government would pass measures to make it easier to recover loans and speed up bankruptcy procedures.


Police have renewed their appeal for information on the first anniversary of the death of a man in west Belfast.

Sean Corrigan, 31, was found at a flat in St Mary's Garden and later died in hospital.
Post mortem results indicated he may have died in suspicious circumstances.
Det Ch Insp Justyn Galloway said police believe Mr Corrigan may have been assaulted in the hours prior to his death.
"We are carrying out a full investigation into Sean's death," he said.
"We have examined CCTV footage and spoken to a number of witnesses. We will also be carrying out house to house enquiries in the area over the coming days.
"It is vital that we speak to anyone who may have more information in relation to Sean's movements that night and what happened in the apartment.
"I would urge the local community to help us ascertain what happened to Sean by coming forward with information. If you were in the area between 1am and lunchtime, if you saw any suspicious activity or if you have any other information about Sean's death which might assist us with our enquiries, then please get in touch."


Police investigating a serious assault in Erskine have said they believed it was a "targeted attack".

A 25-year-old man was attacked from behind in Lachlan Crescent in Linburn, Erskine at about 05:50 on Friday.
The attacker, a heavily-built man, then escaped in a car in the direction of Old Greenock Road.
The injured man was taken by ambulance to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley where he was treated for facial lacerations.
The getaway car is thought to have been a Nissan Qashqai or Nissan Juke.
The suspect has been described by police as about 5'10", of heavy build. He was wearing a dark hooded top with the hood up.
Det Con Derek Johnston said: "This appears to have been a targeted attack and enquiries are being carried out to establish a motive for this assault, and of course trace the man responsible."


At 37,000 feet, above the roar of the engines propelling the prime minister's official RAF Voyager aircraft towards Delhi, Theresa May's verdict on the raging "Press v judges" dispute was heard loud and clear in the crowded cabin.

"I value the independence of the judiciary," she said. "I also value the freedom of the press."
The latter was "important to democracy", she added.
It was her first contribution since three of the country's most senior judges ruled in the High Court that Parliament should, after all, have the power to trigger the all important negotiations on Britain's exit from the European Union.
The gaggle of Fleet Street correspondents and political editors perked up, and took the brief declaration as the highest possible political cover-fire for what has been some of the most ferocious criticism of senior and respected judges in recent times.
The Daily Mail, for example, splashed the headline "Enemies of the People" across its front page - above pictures of the three presiding judges.
True, no prime minister would ever offer anything other than an unqualified endorsement of press freedom if invited to do so. But Mrs May repeated the words twice. Those who were outraged by the strength of the papers' attacks, and even saw the criticism as an assault on the independence of the judiciary, will be far less pleased than the editors framing the morning editions.
As for the implications of the verdict, Mrs May, speaking to journalists accompanying her on her first trade mission outside Europe, was wholly unyielding. She again said there would be an appeal to the Supreme Court.
And to MPs and peers planning to use their votes in Parliaments to try to force much more detail of Britain's negotiations position -  and more willingness to compromise in sealing a deal - she was implacable.
"MPs and peers should recognise there was a Parliamentary decision to give a choice to the people in a referendum. Now it's the job of the government to get on and deliver it."
Control of migration was "an important aspect" of the referendum vote to leave the EU.
Pro-European politicians won't be astonished to hear the PM's position articulated in this way. But they will now be preparing for a trial of will and strength in Parliament, as they seek to use their leverage to force the government to compromise with EU leaders and negotiators. Opposition and pro-EU MPs want a Brexit deal which maintains the UK's participation in the EU single market as close to the current terms as possible.
There'll be no Labour attempt to undo Brexit. Today, Labour's leader and deputy leader have said as much. Too many Labour supporters voted to leave. But given a chance, the Opposition will try to write all sorts of conditions into the legislation starting the Brexit talks. The Lords may well be stroppier - even to the extent of stalling Brexit if they can.
Again today Mrs May told reporters she was not anticipating any early general election before the due date in 2020. The message was a snap poll figured nowhere in her plans, and would not happen.
Not everyone's completely convinced. Not yet.


John Alexander Macdonald, who was born in Glasgow's Merchant City 200 years ago this week, is little-known in the city of his birth but he is a household name to Canadians and is often referred to as the "Father of Canada".

Modern Canada was created in 1867 with the unification of the four original provinces - Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
And it was the son of a failed textile merchant born in Glasgow's Brunswick Street who was the leading figure in the Confederation pact that created Canada, according to Randy Boswell, a journalism professor at Ottawa's Carleton University.
Ged Martin, emeritus professor of history at the University of Edinburgh, says the timing of the confederation move was critical.
He says: "It came at a moment in the 1860s when Macdonald said 'it is now or never'. 'If we don't do it now, we'll simply fall apart'.
"The fear was that they would gradually be sucked into the orbit of the United States."
Macdonald's family had emigrated to Kingston, Ontario, to revive the family fortunes, when he was just five years old.
He lost much of his Glasgow accent, was schooled well and quickly ascended, opening his own law office at age 19 and entering politics seven years later.
He devoted his life to promoting the Canadian Confederation and held the position of prime minister for 18 years, the second longest term in Canadian history.
During his time as prime minister, Sir John - who was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1867 - made it his priority to create a modern Canadian nation, developing the Canadian transcontinental railway and founding the Canadian Mounted Police, the Mounties.
Sir John died in 1891 at the age of 76.
His achievements in elected office across almost 50 years came despite a tragic personal life and chronic alcoholism.
Prof Martin says: "Simply to caricature him as a drunk who created a country by looking through the bottom of a bottle, all of that I think is nonsense.
"He was an enormously hard-working person.  In those days the civil service was very, very primitive so Macdonald did a huge amount of work in his own hand-writing as a minister. He certainly put pressure on himself by doing that."
His success also seems to have come despite reports that he did not appear to have been a great orator and was often hesitant in speech and rarely prepared his speeches.
Sir John A is often known to Canadians as John Eh? , as reference to the frequent national intonation of adding 'eh?' at the end of sentences.
On the 200th anniversary of his birth, international experts gathered in Glasgow to reflect on his legacy.
New research presented at the event shed light on the long-standing question of exactly where in the city he was born.
Prof Boswell says it is about filling the story-telling gaps in history.
He says: "Having more very tangible detail about where Macdonald was born I think can actually enhance Canadians' understanding of the story of this immigrant who came from another country and the conditions in which he lived at that time, like what drew his family to emigrate to Canada and start a new life.
"That's a story that's played out millions of times in Canadian history but none perhaps so significant an immigrant story as John A Macdonald's."
Two main trains of thought exist on the birthplace.
Some believe it was a long-gone tenement south of the Clyde in Laurieston based on an 1891 biography by E.B. Biggar, citing the recollections of Macdonald's cousin Maria MacPherson after his death.
Others think it was actually north of the river in a late 17th-century building in a lane called Brunswick Place where Post Office Directory records indicate John's father Hugh ran a textile business in 1815.
This location was also identified as his place of birth in a special memorial supplement in The Empire newspaper in 1891 after John A's death.
Randy Boswell, who recently uncovered the document, says the publication would seem to have some authority on the matter because The Empire was founded and controlled by Macdonald himself.
Part of the building in question is still standing and houses the boarded-up old Mitre Pub.
The tenements above were demolished long ago.
This week, an Edinburgh University PhD candidate in History, Malin Sandell unveiled findings lending credence to the Brunswick Place theory.
She found Kirk Parish Records placing John Alexander's birth in Glasgow Parish, the boundaries of which fell north of the Clyde, and crucially included the Brunswick address.  It doesn't provide certainty but may help settle the debate.
Kevin Febers, one of the last owners of the Mitre Bar, between 1991 to 2002, says: "It had always been rumoured that the Canadian PM had been born at either 14 or 12 Brunswick Street but we never really knew for sure if that was the case.
"The Mitre was number 12. The apartments were long gone, they were removed in the 1950s."
The derelict Mitre Bar is due to be demolished this spring but Prof Boswell says he has been speaking to the new developers Mace and Mercer Real Estate about their plans.
He says: 'I think there is in fact some growing recognition that there should be a greater awareness of Macdonald's roots in Glasgow.
"Mace and Mercer are very excited about the prospect of recognising Macdonald in some way whether it's through a simple plaque or a statue or some other feature of a re-developed downtown area."
There is already a plaque commemorating Macdonald several blocks away at Ramshorn Kirk where John A was baptised.
It was placed there decades ago by the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario.
But that doesn't seem to have done much to raise awareness of his existence.
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Tricia Marwick, who attended bi-centenary events in Kingston, Ontario, said: "I think what is important is that we recognise famous Scots, people who've gone abroad and done wonderful things.
"Ultimately it's a matter for Glasgow City Council whether or not they want to honour one of their own who went to Canada."


A plaque is set to be unveiled in memory of the Englishman credited with founding Italian football giants AC Milan.

Herbert Kilpin, from Nottingham, went to work in Italy in the 1890s and later established the Milan Football and Cricket Club.
The plaque is being unveiled to mark 100 years since his death.
However, fundraisers have yet to get permission to attach the plaque to Kilpin's birthplace.
Kilpin, who was born at the back of a butcher's shop on Mansfield Road, led the club to their first three championships.
He is known as the "father of Italian football" in Milan and there has been a recent drive to have his achievements recognised in his home city of Nottingham.
Andy Black, one of the fundraisers behind the project, said: "It is no secret what Herbert Kilpin achieved, but he has just been overlooked.
"I located the birthplace, it is a very run down building.
"It is the complete opposite end of the scale to the San Siro [AC Milan's stadium]."
However, fundraisers have said contacting the owners of the building where the footballer was born has proved difficult so the plaque will not go on display until permission is granted.
Despite this setback, the group did not want the 100th anniversary of Kilpin's death to go unmarked.
A bus and bus stop carrying Kilpin's name are also being unveiled by the Sherriff of Nottingham.
Robert Nieri, another of the fundraisers, will be at the San Siro stadium as a guest of AC Milan to watch their game against Juventus.
He has written a book about Kilpin and has started working on a documentary.
Source: The Lord of Milan


A beech tree that has been competing for light in the South Downs has been named the tallest native tree in Britain.

The 144ft (44m) tree has been growing in Newtimber Woods on the National Trust's Devil's Dyke Estate in West Sussex.
The tree thought to be almost 200 years old was found to be the tallest by Owen Johnson from the Tree Register.
A 141ft (43m) beech in Gloucestershire was the previous native tree champion.
Dr Johnson said dendrologist Peter Bourne alerted him to the possibility that the Newtimber beech, which has been competing for light with a clump of rival trees, could have reached a record height.
"I didn't quite believe Peter when he said the tallest tree in the woods could be 44 metres tall as I know the South Downs so well," he added.
"When I finally got around to visiting I found my scepticism entirely unjustified.
"It's also strange and fascinating that this one beech, which must have very good genes, has managed to grow so much taller than all of its rivals in the same conditions."
The beech has been allowed to grow unmanaged for 90 years.
National Trust ranger Charlie Cain said: "This breathtaking woodland has been coppiced for a thousand years or more, which is just incredible, and it's wonderful to think that it's home to the tallest wild tree in Britain."
A 200ft (61m) Douglas fir, in Cragside, Northumberland, holds the title of the tallest non-native species in Britain.
The Tree Register holds records for 200,000 trees in Britain and Ireland.


A disease which robs children of the ability to walk and talk has been cured by pioneering gene therapy to correct errors in their DNA, say doctors.

The study, in the journal Science, showed the three patients were now going to school.
A second study published at the same time has shown a similar therapy reversing a severe genetic disease affecting the immune system.
Gene therapy researchers said it was a "really exciting" development.
Both diseases are caused by errors in the patient's genetic code - the manual for building and running their bodies.
Babies born with metachromatic leukodystrophy appear healthy, but their development starts to reverse between the ages of one and two as part of their brain is destroyed.
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome leads to a defective immune system. It makes patients more susceptible to infections, cancers and the immune system can also attack other parts of the body.
The technique, developed by a team of researchers at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan, Italy, used a genetically modified virus to correct the damaging mutations in a patient's genes.
The hype around gene therapy was huge - nipping into the genome and tweaking a bit of DNA was supposed to change medicine.
However, it failed to meet expectations - there was a death in one trial and other patients developed leukaemia.
It turned out that introducing the new genes could activate cancer genes.
The potential was there - but safety was a massive concern.
There has been years of research to come up with safer options.
It took until 2012 for the first gene therapy to be approved in Europe.
But there is now growing optimism that other therapies will follow.
Europe backs first gene therapy
Bone marrow stem cells are taken from the patient then the virus is used to 'infect' the cells with tiny snippets of DNA which contain the correct instructions. These are then put back into the patient.
Three children were picked for treatment from families with a history of metachromatic leukodystrophy, but before their brain function started to decline.
Dr Alessandra Biffi told the BBC: "The outcome has been very positive, they're all in very good condition, with a normal life and going to kindergarten at an age when their siblings were unable to talk.
"It is something which is very pleasing to us."
She said that all treatments had side effects and these patients needed to be followed for longer, but the evidence so far suggested the treatment was safe.
Gene therapy is a field that has promised far more than it has delivered and has been hampered by serious concerns about safety.
Dr Biffi said lessons had been learnt from previous failings: "Experience showed that gene therapy could be improved and we could be at the starting point for a new era to achieve more than we did in the past."
In the other study, published simultaneously in the journal Science, symptoms such as repeat infections and eczema had lessened in the three patients treated.
Prof Bobby Gaspar, from Great Ormond Street Hospital in London is working on a Medical Research Council trial using gene therapy as a treatment for adenosine deaminase deficiency - which also leads to immune problems.
He told the BBC News website: "This is really exciting. Metachromatic leukodystrophy is a very significant neural degeneration which cannot be cured in any other way and now the study shows they can live relatively normal lives.
"It raises the prospect that other diseases can be treated in the same way."
Prof Luigi Naldini, who leads the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, said: "Three years after the start of the clinical trial the results obtained from the first six patients are very encouraging.
"The therapy is not only safe, but also effective and able to change the clinical history of these severe diseases.
"After 15 years of effort and our successes in the laboratory, but frustration as well, it's really exciting to be able to give a concrete solution to the first patients."


Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello birdied the first play-off hole to deny Callum Shinkwin and capture the Scottish Open.

English world number 405 Shinkwin, 24, took six shots when needing a par five at the final hole for a first European Tour title, but qualifies for the Open.
Cabrera-Bello carded an eight-under course record 64 to finish the regulation 72 holes in 13 under.
Ian Poulter, the 41-year-old seeking a first title since 2012, had five bogeys in a 74 and shared ninth.
Shinkwin, from Watford, had been at the top of the leaderboard since the second round and did not drop a shot in the first 17 holes on the final day at the Dundonald Links in Ayrshire.
But he took four to get down from level with the green at the par-five 18th, leaving a seven-foot putt short. Then at the same hole in the play-off, he saw a putt from a similar spot also fail to reach the cup.
It was a third European title for world number 31 Cabrera-Bello, 33, and his first since 2012.
Find out how to get into golf with our special guide.
Shinkwin, who beat Matthew Fitzpatrick to win the 2013 English Amateur Championship, played in last year's Open at Royal Troon but missed the cut.
Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell had hoped a first top-10 of the season would earn him a place at Royal Birkdale next week but he carded a 72 to finish on five under in a share of 19th.
The 37-year-old world number 102 has played in the Championship every year since making his debut in 2004.
France's Matthieu Pavon secured a major debut at Birkdale with a closing 66 to finish third, with Australia's Andrew Dodt claiming the last place ahead of England's Anthony Wall by virtue of his higher world ranking.
Dodt, the world number 193, had been scheduled to fly to New York on Monday for a holiday with his wife, but finished on eight under par alongside Wall, Padraig Harrington, Matt Kuchar and Ryan Fox.
Three-time major winner Harrington, who shared the lead after day two, fell away with a third-round 79 but closed with a 66.


Eight million people have been affected by the massive earthquake in Nepal, and 1.4 million are in need of food aid, the United Nations says.

International aid has started arriving but there is still a shortage of medical equipment, food and body bags.
The 7.8 magnitude quake hit Nepal on Saturday destroying buildings in Kathmandu and severely affecting rural areas across the region.
A government official said on Tuesday the death toll has now risen to 4,310.
Almost 8,000 people have been injured, ministry spokesperson Laxmi Prasad Dhakal said.
Nepal and surrounding areas have continued to experience aftershocks. Thousands in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, spent a third night outside, too afraid to go back into their houses.
Water, food and electricity are in short supply and there are fears of outbreaks of disease.
"According to initial estimations and based on the latest earthquake intensity mapping, eight million people in 39 districts have been affected, of which over two million people live in the 11 severely affected districts," said the most recent report from the UN Office of the Resident Co-ordinator.
This camp had been set up on a playground and even now there are quite a few children playing. But it no longer resembles a safe place. There's rubbish everywhere, paper plates, wrappers and plastic glasses are strewn all over.
"It's getting quite bad," says one man who is here with his wife and four daughters. "We've been here for three days and we've been living on instant noodles. There's nothing else to eat."
His house is not badly damaged, but he is adamant that he will not go home despite the challenging conditions in the camp.
"We've heard all these rumours about more earthquakes and aftershocks. We will not leave this place, not for a while."
Homeless and hungry survivors
How long can survivors last under rubble?
Quake 'was anticipated'
The country's most deadly earthquake in 81 years triggered avalanches that have killed 18 people on Mount Everest - the worst disaster in history on the world's highest peak.
More than 200 people were trapped on the mountain but helicopters are bringing them to safety with about 60 rescued on Monday, according to the tourism ministry.
Almost the entire Nepali army and police have joined the search and rescue operations, officials say.
People are still being pulled from the rubble more than 50 hours after the tragedy.
Nepal earthquake: Before and after
In pictures: Devastation after the quake
Hospitals are unable to cope with the huge numbers of people in need of medical attention and some Nepalis have complained of aid being slow to reach them.
The Nepal government has acknowledged that it needs help from overseas asking for everything from blankets and helicopters to doctors and drivers.
"We urge foreign countries to give us special relief materials and medical teams. We are really desperate for more foreign expertise to pull through this crisis," said Chief Secretary Leela Mani Paudel.
Many countries have sent aid including India, China the UK and US.
Are you in the area? Are you affected by the earthquake?  If it is safe to do so, you can share your story by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
If you are willing to speak with a BBC journalist, please leave a contact number.
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Police reinvestigating the murder of a schoolgirl 21 years ago have made a further appeal for information.

Caroline Glachan, 14, was found dead on the banks of the River Leven in Dunbartonshire on 25 August 1996, about a mile from her home in Renton.
Her killer has never been found, and Police Scotland reopened an investigation into the case a year ago.
Detectives have said they are certain the answer to her murder lies in the local community.
Det Supt Jim Kerr said progress had been made over the past year, including work with the forensic scientists at the Scottish Crime Campus.
"A large number of the 300 pieces of evidence continue to be carefully examined for traces of DNA, and the painstaking work that the scientists have been carrying out continues," he said.
"Following our reappeal, we've had calls from as far away as Australia with information, from people who lived in the area of Bonhill and Renton at the time of the murder.
"Our work over the last year has continued to review the initial investigation and visiting those who were witnesses at the time to take reference samples of DNA.
"We remain in contact with Caroline's mother Margaret and the support we receive from her and her family during our investigation remains crucial."
Caroline's friend Joanne Menzies was one of the last people to see her.
Caroline left Joanne at the Bonhill shops at 23:54.
She was last seen at about 00:15 when she walked down Dillichip Loan towards Dillichip Bridge (known locally as the Black Bridge and which no longer exists) and then on to the tow path.
A man wearing a dark green hooded top was seen by a taxi driver walking near Caroline as she made her way along Dillichip Loan.
The man was described as having sharp features
Despite previous appeals to identify him, he has never been traced.
Det Supt Kerr said witnesses had also spoken of hearing people arguing or shouting in that area a short time later.
He said: "I know there has been a reluctance from people in the Bonhill and Renton areas to come forward in the past with vital information on this murder.
"However, can I remind people that we are investigating the murder of a 14-year-old girl - a young girl who is sorely missed by her family and friends.
"Someone out there who stayed in that community at that time holds the vital information we need - there is no doubt in that."


A Rangers supporters' group has urged the police and football authorities to investigate the conduct of Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon.

Club 1872, the second largest shareholder in Rangers, claims Lennon made "various inflammatory gestures" to fans during Hibs' 3-2 win at Ibrox.
The fans' group wants Police Scotland and the Scottish Professional Football League to speak to the Hibs boss.
Neither Hibs nor Lennon have commented on the Club 1872 statement.


PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton has apologised to residents in the Short Strand area of Belfast over the handling of the union flag protests.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ruled that the PSNI was wrong to allow the protests to take place in the city.
The court found in favour of a resident who claimed the police failed in its legal duty to stop the parades.
Loyalists protested for weeks after Belfast City Council opted not to fly the union flag every day of the year.
On Thursday, Mr Hamilton said the Supreme Court ruling against police makes for "uncomfortable reading", but that he accepted it.
"I apologise to the residents of Short Strand and to anyone else who was inconvenienced by this parade," he said.
"The residents had their rights curtailed as a result of us allowing that parade to go forward, so I acknowledge that we have a job to do in some quarters in terms of regaining trust and confidence."
Mr Hamilton said that the flag protests had presented a challenging period for the police: "There were many times when we had 80 to 120 protest sites across Northern Ireland."
He added that he accepted and respected the Supreme Court judgement.
"It is good, actually, after four years of legal debate and a lot of scrutiny around this to have some judicial clarity," he said.
"It is uncomfortable reading in parts for us, but it does bring some clarity to us and we will review how we handle un-notified parades in the future in light of this."
The ruling also identified the importance of police "operational discretion", he said.
"This judgement is not saying that every time there is an un-notified parade, the police should stop it. What it means is that the police have the power to stop it.
"So in some ways it's another tactic for us dealing with this very difficult and unresolved issue in Northern Ireland."


Families of two men who died in prison have lost a High Court case related to the high rate of suicides there.

Ian Brown, 44, and Daniel Dunkley, 35, took their own lives at HMP Woodhill last July.
Their relatives claimed Woodhill's governor had not complied fully with Prison Service Instructions (PSIs).
The governor and Justice Secretary Liz Truss said the judicial review claim was "neither appropriate or necessary".
PSIs cover management of prisoners at risk of harm to themselves, to others and from others, early days in custody and medical emergency response codes.
Heather Williams QC, for the families, said the claim addressed what she said was an "exceptionally high" rate of self-inflicted deaths at the Milton Keynes prison.
Seven prisoners killed themselves last year, five in 2015, with 18 in total since May 2013.
Ms Williams said the case raised serious ongoing breaches of Article 2 of the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to life, and involved long-term failures to comply with the responsibility placed on the authorities to protect prisoners.
James Strachan QC, defending, said: "Not only have the governor and the secretary of state taken significant action in 2016 to improve the situation, but this is a continuing high priority."
Lord Justice Irwin and Mr Justice Garnham rejected the judicial review claim.
In their ruling, they said the families had failed to establish a "systemic failing".
Mr Justice Garnham said: "The defendants have made it clear that they share the great concern of the claimants about the rate of suicides in prisons generally, and HMP Woodhill in particular.
"They have in place sensible and satisfactory policies.
"The defendants have acknowledged that, on occasions, operational errors have been made by their staff in dealing with those at risk of suicide and have sought to prevent those mistakes being repeated."


The fashion for wearing running shoes and tracksuits as day-to-day clothing has given JD Sports a spring in its step as it reported record profits.

The "athleisure" trend led to an 81% increase in pre-tax profits last year to Â£238.4m.
Even the previously loss-making outdoor brands, Millets and Blacks, have made money for the first time since JD Sports acquired them.
But the company warned of possible inflationary pressures later this year.
Peter Cowgill, executive chairman said "JD's continued strength in its core markets is increasingly being complemented by momentum in our international development, with a net increase of 54 JD stores across mainland Europe during the year."
Like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new stores opening, grew 10% over the year.
The company has 900 outlets are in the UK. The group opened 54 stores across Europe last year and opened a further two stores in Malaysia. The first JD store in Australia is due to open shortly.
"Whilst we must recognise that there are external influences which may impact the latter part of the year, notably inflationary pressures arising from Brexit, the board remains confident in the robustness of the JD proposition and believes that the group is well positioned for further profitable growth," said Mr Cowgill.
Jonathan Pritchard, retail analyst at Peel Hunt, said "Whilst the trainer trend tailwind has been off the Beaufort scale, JD has sailed it skilfully. Both sports fashion and outdoor exceeded expectations."
JD's share price rose 4.2% after the bumper results were published.
It has not all been plain sailing for the brand in 2016, however.
A Channel 4 undercover investigation in December quoted workers saying conditions at its Kingsway distribution centre in Rochdale were "worse than a prison".  JD Sports denied allegations that it operated a "three strikes" policy before dismissing workers over minor misdemeanours such as being caught with a cigarette lighter or using mobile phones, and that workers were being underpaid.
"We were greatly disappointed to be the subject of allegations made in late 2016 about working practices in our Kingsway warehouse," the company said in its results statement.
"As the well-being of all staff is a key priority for the group and it is an area where we strive continually to improve performance, the Board appointed Deloitte to conduct an independent review of the allegations made.
"That review has now been completed and Deloitte's conclusion was that the allegations did not represent a balanced characterisation of working practices at Kingsway."
The full report has not been published. But JD Sports chief executive Peter Cowgill told the BBC that the report broadly bore out the firm's denial of wrongdoing.
"I think if you take a very, very small minority [of cases], then the tone sometimes could have been improved, but overall, the content of that facility which is open for all to see - we invite anybody, within reason, to visit it... people are staggered by the standards in that facility.
"We conducted an independent report, and that bears out what we said in the first place."
Mr Cowgill said that while safety-related rules over the use of mobile phones, lighters and matches in the warehouse would continue to apply, the term "strike", meaning a warning, had been eradicated.


South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has elected its first black leader, a move the party hopes will widen its appeal.

Mmusi Maimane, 34, was clear favourite to succeed outgoing leader Helen Zille.
Mr Maimane became party spokesman in 2011, regularly locking horns with the South African President, Jacob Zuma.
The DA won its best-ever share of the vote in the 2014 elections, but has struggled with perceptions it primarily represents white South Africans.
Mr Maimane faced party chairman Wilmot James for the job, and was elected at a party conference in Port Elizabeth.
He promised cheering supporters that the DA would win power and lashed out at Mr Zuma over  corruption allegations.
"Make no mistake Mr President, you will have your day in court," he said in his victory speech.
Mr Maimane's predecessor, Helen Zille, made no secret of her belief that the party would never threaten the ANC's enduring grip on power if it could not finally shake off the accusation that it is a "white" party, representing the interests of those who have benefited from decades of racial apartheid.
To that end Ms Zille had tried to parachute in a prominent figure from the country's liberation struggle, Mamphele Ramphele, as the party's new leader before the last election. That plan collapsed in acrimony almost immediately.
Critics will now say that Mr Maimane's speedy ascent to the top job is another "parachute" job - that the 34-year-old is too young and inexperienced to deserve the position, and that his swift elevation smacks of racial tokenism.
And yet, anyone watching the crowds at the conference will know that the claim that it is remains a "white" party is increasingly at odds with the facts.
What does Maimane's opposition win mean for South Africa?
Mr Maimane has advanced quickly in the party, only joining the DA in 2009.
His first test will be taking on the ANC at next year's local elections. The party has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid.
"No party has a divine right to rule this country," said Mr Maimane in his speech.
He will also have to fend off a challenge from the hard-left Economic Freedom Fighters party, which threatens the DA's position as South Africa's main opposition party.
Ms Zille unexpectedly announced she would step down last month  after increasing the share of the DA's vote in the 2014 poll.
She told the Citizen newspaper she was "relieved" to no longer be leader, but would continue to campaign for the party.


There is an outbreak of typhoid in the besieged Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk in the south of the Syrian capital Damascus, the UN has warned.

A UN Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) spokesman said at least six cases of the disease had been confirmed.
Yarmouk is the scene of a major humanitarian crisis.
It has come under bombardment from government forces since 2012, but conditions worsened in April when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked.
The 18,000 people living there, including 3,500 children, have no access to regular food supplies, clean water or healthcare.
The cases of typhoid were confirmed by Unrwa medics after they managed to gained access to Yarmouk residents for the first time since June.
Typhoid is caused by a highly contagious bacterium, spread from person to person by food and water that is contaminated with traces of infected faeces or urine.
Symptoms include nausea, fever and abdominal pain. If untreated, the disease can lead to complications in the gut and head that kill up to one in five patients.
"Our concern is that these typhoid cases only represent the tip of the iceberg, because the erosion of health services and appalling public health standards create a massive, massive risk of diseases breaking out," Unrwa spokesman Chris Gunness told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"The situation is desperate, and suffering may be far more widespread and intense inside the camp."
Mr Gunness said women inside Yarmouk were dying in childbirth because of a lack of medicines, children were reduced to eating grass because there was no food, and the main water supply had not been functional since last September.
"Never has the imperative for sustained humanitarian access been greater," he warned.
Yarmouk was first built for Palestinians fleeing the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Before the Syrian civil war began in 2011, it had more than 150,000 refugees living there.


A man who murdered a Cardiff prostitute may not have acted alone, the barrister for officers involved in the original murder investigation has claimed.

Eight South Wales Police officers are suing the force after they were cleared of allegations relating to the investigation of Lynette White's murder in 1988.
The corruption trial collapsed in 2011.
On Monday, Anthony Metzer QC told the High Court there are inconsistencies pointing to other people being present.
The former police officers went on trial for their conduct during the 1988 inquiry, which resulted in the arrest and wrongful conviction of the so-called Cardiff Three; Tony Parris, Stephen Miller and Yusef Abdullahi, who had maintained their innocence.
Their convictions were quashed by the Court of Appeal in 1992 after the prosecution accepted that they were "unsafe and unsatisfactory".
At the end of that appeal hearing, Lord Justice Taylor said he was horrified by the police conduct in the case.
The real killer, Jeffrey Gafoor, was arrested in 2003.
The subsequent police corruption trial collapsed and the former police officers - Graham Mouncher, Thomas Page, Richard Powell, John Seaford, Michael Daniels, Peter Greenwood, Paul Jennings, and Paul Stephen - have brought civil action at the Cardiff court.
Mr Metzer told the court that although DNA evidence linked Gafoor to the murder of Ms White, it was "open to question" whether he acted alone.
He said the police officers' arrests on corruption charges had been "devastating" for their lives and careers, and that they had been "scapegoated and treated like liars".
Mr Metzer added that there was a misguided desire by those leading the corruption investigation to exonerate the original defendants, even though there may have been some involvement in the murder.
Judge Mr Justice Wyn Williams reminded the court that Gafoor had pleaded guilty to murder.
The eight officers are suing South Wales Police for misfeasance in public office and false imprisonment.
The case continues.


Mae BBC Cymru ar ddeall bod prif weithredwr corff gwarchod cleifion wedi cael ei wahardd o'i swydd ar dâl llawn ers mis Chwefror 2016.

Mae bwrdd Cynghorau Iechyd Cymuned yn gwrthod dweud pam fod Tony Rucinski wedi ei wahardd.
Yn ôl ebyst gafodd eu hanfon cyn iddo gael ei wahardd, ac sydd wedi'u gweld gan y BBC, roedd Dr Rucinski wedi codi pryderon bod cadeirydd y bwrdd, Mutale Merill, wedi cael ei dylanwadu gan weinidog llywodraeth i'w atal rhag gwneud cyfweliadau.
Dyw cynnwys yr ebyst ddim yn "ffeithiol gywir", yn ôl Ms Merill, ac mae Dr Rucinski wedi cael "cyfarwyddyd i beidio â gwneud sylw".
Mae'r corff yn disgrifio ei hun fel "llais annibynnol cleifion" yng Nghymru, ac roedd ganddyn nhw a'r saith Cyngor Iechyd Cymuned maen nhw'n gyfrifol amdanynt gyllideb o £3.8miliwn yn 2015/16.
Cafodd Tony Rucinski ei benodi'n brif weithredwr y corff ym mis Gorffennaf 2015, ac fe ddywedodd ar y pryd ei fod yno i "wneud i bethau ddigwydd".
Bedwar mis yn ddiweddarach cafodd Mutale Merrill ei phenodi gan Lywodraeth Cymru fel cadeirydd y bwrdd.
Cafodd Dr Rucinski ei wahardd ym mis Chwefror 2016, ac mae sawl ffynhonnell wedi dweud wrth BBC Cymru bod tensiwn yn bodoli rhwng Mr Rucinski a Ms Merrill cyn y gwaharddiad.
Mewn ebost i Ms Merrill cyn iddo gael ei wahardd, cododd Mr Rucinski bryderon ei fod wedi ei atal rhag gwneud cyfweliad ar fenter iechyd digidol Llywodraeth Cymru yn Rhagfyr 2015, ac ar adroddiad OECD yn cymharu gwasanaethau iechyd y DU ym mis Chwefror 2016.
Yn yr ebyst dywedodd Dr Rucinski bod ei swydd ddisgrifiad yn cynnwys gwneud cyfweliadau â'r wasg, gan ddweud ei fod yn teimlo bod cyfarwyddyd Ms Merrill iddo beidio â gwneud cyfweliadau wedi ei ddylanwadu gan gyfarfod â gweinidog o Lywodraeth Cymru.
Yn dilyn ei waharddiad cafodd cyfarfod bwrdd ei gynnal, gyda'r cofnodion yn dweud bod Ms Merrill wedi dweud bod "embargo cyfryngau" ond wedi'i osod ar y prif weithredwr yn achos stori'r OECD.
Ychwanegodd y cofnodion bod "rhywfaint o gyd-destun tu ôl i'r penderfyniad na ellir ei rannu" a bod "sgwrs am yr angen ar gyfer protocol cyfryngau wedi ei drafod â'r prif weithredwr".
Yn Ebrill 2016 anfonodd Mr Rucinski ebost i Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru yn honni bod Ms Merrill "wedi rhoi gwybod i mi ar lafar bod gweinidog wedi dweud wrthi am beidio â gadael i mi siarad â'r wasg nac ymddangos yn gyhoeddus bellach".
Dywedodd hefyd ei fod yn credu bod "llais annibynnol cleifion a'r cyhoedd yng Nghymru yn cael ei dawelu yn ystod cyfnod allweddol yn ein sgwrs genedlaethol am iechyd".
Mae Ms Merrill wedi dweud nad yw hi'n derbyn bod yr honiadau yn ebyst Mr Rucinski yn ffeithiol gywir, ond nad yw hi am wneud sylw pellach tra bod y broses fewnol yn parhau.
Dywedodd llefarydd ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru bod gwaharddiad Mr Rucinski yn "fater mewnol i fwrdd CIC", ac fe ddywedodd llefarydd ar ran Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru fod y Swyddfa wedi dod i'r casgliad nad nad oedd y mater yn dod o dan orchwyl yr archwiliwr cyffredinol ond y bydd yn cadw llygad ar bethau.


Athletes' chances of travelling to the Paralympics in Rio are "precarious" despite a day of emergency talks, says International Paralympic Committee president Philip Craven.

Rio 2016's organising committee is two weeks late in paying 8m euros (£7m) in travel grants to athletes.
It is thought up to 50 nations may be unable to afford to send athletes to the Games, which start on 7 September.
Rio mayor Eduardo Paes has promised to cover the costs.
However, there is an injunction on the use of government funds.
The grants, paid to national Paralympic bodies, cover the travel costs for athletes and officials.
The IPC said reports that the Games will not go ahead were "unfounded", but that cuts would be made to services if no extra funding was available.
Although Paes said he was prepared to provide BRL 150 million (£36.5m), funding from municipal and federal governments cannot used unless organisers are transparent with their financial records.
Craven added: "The organising committee has now committed to paying these grants by the end of the month.
"Failure to do so could result in a number of countries being unable to attend the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games."
Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, who won 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 gold, for Great Britain, said she was shocked by the scale of the problem.
She told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight that any cuts would set "a negative tone for the Games", adding: "This has to be sorted as soon as possible."


Nurses in Northern Ireland are set to vote on whether or not they will take industrial action, short of walking out on strike, in a dispute over pay.

The ballot is being organised by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which described the move as "unprecedented".
The RCN said Northern Ireland was the only part of the UK where nurses have not received a pay rise for 2015-2016.
But a spokesman for Stormont's Health Minister Simon Hamilton claimed trade unions "refused" talks on the issue.
The ballot will ask nurses to vote on a work-to-rule protest, that may result in them refusing to work unpaid hours or carry out non-nursing activities.
The RCN's director in Northern Ireland, Janice Smyth, said: "Not only are our members now paid less than their counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales, but many other public servants in Northern Ireland have received a pay award, leaving nursing, a predominantly female profession, subjected to unfair treatment.
"An experienced staff nurse in Northern Ireland is now paid Â£279 a year less than in England and Â£561 a year less than in Scotland," she added.
"The message that the care they provide to the people of Northern Ireland is not valued is being made loud and clear."
However, the health minister's spokesman said Mr Hamilton "values the essential role that nurses play in the continued provision of a high standard of care in Northern Ireland".
The spokesman added that Department of Health officials had "repeatedly sought to engage with trade unions who have refused to enter into discussions on a settlement for 2015-16".
"The department remains hopeful this will change and that unions will engage," the spokesman said.
As well as refusing to work unpaid hours, the RCN said the industrial action could include refusing to carry out activities "imposed on nurses" that its members believe  are "not directly related" to nursing care.


Growing pressures are leading UK hospitals to increasingly rely on premium overtime pay to get consultants to do extra work, the BBC has found.

Spending on high-cost overtime has risen by more than a third in the past two years, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act suggest.
One doctor made an extra £375,000 last year on top of their salary.
Hospitals blamed a consultants shortage amid rising demand, but ministers said the way doctors were paid must change.
Payments of about £600 overtime for a four-hour shift are common - three to four times what consultants get normally - but there was some evidence of payments around the £1,000 mark.
It is up to individual hospitals to negotiate payments. The BBC found examples of hospitals that did not pay any high rates and others that had managed to negotiate much lower rates for shifts relating to urgent and emergency work.
Hospitals said that originally consultants had been able to negotiate higher rates for routine work because their contracts allowed them to opt-out of such work at weekends.
But they said the rising cost seen in recent years was down to shortages of consultants and rising demand.
The BBC investigated the issue using the Freedom of Information Act and follow-up interviews with hospitals and doctors.
Some 140 trusts and health boards out of 186 asked provided information, although not all of them were able to answer all the questions.
The investigation just focused on overtime paid at higher rates. It did not capture extra shifts done for normal pay.
It found:
1.£374,999: Unnamed consultant at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
2.£205,408: Unnamed consultant at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
3.£183,204: Unnamed consultant at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Source: BBC investigation
Professor Mark Pugh, medical director of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which was responsible for paying the £375,000, acknowledged the situation was "clearly not sustainable".
"There is an acute shortage of consultants for some of these specialities and as we have not been able to source the additional staff we need as demand has risen, we have paid overtime to the existing workforce to deliver extra clinics so that patients can be seen and treated as quickly as possible."
The trust refused to name the doctor who earned £375,000 or what speciality they work in or how they managed to rack up so much in overtime.
It said the doctor had done "significantly more hours than usual at an enhanced rate" because of a shortage of consultants and high demand.
Andrew Foster, chief executive of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, which stopped paying premium overtime rates in 2010, said such payments were not right.
"I don't think it is very defensible to pay a huge premium to one group of staff and not to other groups of staff.
"No other member of staff gets triple pay for doing extra shifts."
The Department of Health in England said it was looking to tackle the issue in England by renegotiating the consultant contract.
It wants to remove the opt-out that allows consultants to refuse to do non-emergency work at weekends.
Ministers blame this for creating a situation where doctors can command high rates for extra shifts.
A spokesman added: "Consultants do a vital job and should be properly rewarded, but this analysis shows why we are working with the BMA to replace a unique evening and weekend 'opt-out' in the existing contract.
"This will allow us all to promise patients urgent and emergency care of a consistently high standard across the week, and - as the hospitals themselves say - make better use of operating theatres while reducing big overtime bills."
But Keith Brent, the British Medical Association consultants leader, denied the situation was linked to the contract.
He said the overtime payments highlighted were a "clear sign" of doctor shortages.
"There are also lots of consultants working extra hours for nothing or for normal pay. These payments are made because there simply are not enough doctors and hospitals are under pressure to meeting waiting time targets."
Danny Mortimer, head of NHS Employers, who is helping negotiate the new consultant contract on behalf of the government, agreed there were plenty of doctors doing overtime for no pay, or for normal rates.
But he said the information obtained by the BBC "challenges NHS organisations and teams about what arrangements they have in place".
He said he hoped the result of the contract negotiations would be a much more "standardised basis" for extra work.
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The main opposition leader in Uganda, Kizza Besigye, has rejected the result of Thursday's elections, in which President Yoweri Museveni won a fifth term of office.

Mr Besigye, under house arrest since Friday, said Ugandans had seen "the most fraudulent electoral process".
He described the poll as a sham and a creeping military coup.
President Museveni, in power for 30 years, received nearly 61% of the votes, with Mr Besigye taking 35%.
Foreign observers say the poll was conducted in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
While praising the "remarkable determination" of Ugandans to vote, EU chief observer Eduard Kukan said the governing National Resistance Movement's "domination of the political landscape distorted the fairness of the campaign".
The election has been marred by sporadic violence and opposition allegations of electoral fraud, with social media sites and messaging apps blocked.
"Today I am under house arrest," Mr Besigye said in a statement.
"My home is sealed off and I am not allowed to leave. Nobody is allowed to access my home. I am also under some kind of electronic blockade. I am unable to access any form of internet service in my house.
"Generally, the regime is baring its bloodied fangs and claws for all to see. This has not been an electoral process. This is a creeping military coup."
It was the fourth time Mr Besigye, candidate for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, had taken on President Museveni.
The two men were once allies, with Mr Besigye serving as Mr Museveni's personal doctor when they were guerrilla fighters.
He was placed under house arrest ostensibly to stop him announcing his vote score unilaterally.
Mr Museveni seized power in 1986 and is credited with restoring stability to Uganda. However, critics say he has become increasingly authoritarian.
The next closest challenger to Mr Museveni, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, is also reportedly under house arrest.
The National Resistance Movement put out a statement celebrating the win, saying Mr Museveni's opponents had "failed to offer any alternative".
Uganda's old guard tries new election tactics


Holder Nick Brett came close to a shock second-round defeat by 71-year-old Charlie Bence at the World Indoor Bowls Championships in Great Yarmouth.

The top-seeded Englishman needed a tie breaker before defeating the qualifier from Scotland 5-7 10-4 2-1.
Bence, from Blantyre, told BBC Sport: "It was great to play against the world number one.
"I enjoyed the game and did my best. It is the best I've played in a while. I thought I had him."
Brett admitted he was relieved to reach the quarter-finals after a match full of humour broadcast live on BBC television.
"Charlie was fantastic on the green," he said. "I've just had my eyes tested and he told me I'll have to do it again.
"I played some good bowls early on and he was killing me.
"I was very terrified. He played fantastic."
Scotland's Stewart Anderson, seeded nine, eased to victory over Irish qualifier Graham McKee 11-4 12-2.
McKee and Bence had both knocked out seeds in the opening round, with the former knocking out three-time champion and eighth seed Andy Thompson of England.
Bence had put paid to the chances of 16th-seeded Englishman Mark Dawes.
Jason Greenslade, the 12th seed from Wales, was also knocked out - by unseeded American Neil Furman - while Scottish 13th seed Jonathan Ross was ousted by unseeded Englishman James Rippey.
Englishman Mark Royal, the 11th seed, lost to Debbie Wilford, but the unseeded New Zealander was beaten in the next round by former champion Paul Foster, the sixth seed from Scotland.
Joining Foster in round three are English third seed Robert Paxton and former champion Greg Harlow, the fourth seed, who defeated Rippey.
Three Scottish former champions are in second-round action on Thursday, with David Gourlay, seeded five, facing Furman, Darren Burnett, seeded seven, taking on 10th-seeded Englishman Mervyn King and Alex Marshall, the second seed, facing 16th seed Les Gillett of England.
Meanwhile, the ladies' final will be between holder Ellen Falkner and Katherine Rednall after England filled all four semi-final places.
Falkner, seeking a fourth title, beat Janice Gower (Eng) 6-5 8-7, while Rednall defeated Amy Stanton.


Everton Ladies have signed England Under-23 midfielder Jodie Brett from Chelsea Ladies.

The 21-year-old has been at Chelsea since she was nine and spent last season on loan with Women's Super League 2 side Bristol City.
"I know a few of the girls already from playing with England and I have met a few of them as well. Everyone has made me feel really welcome," she said.
"I'm buzzing to start pre-season in August and meet the rest of them."


MEP Janice Atkinson has lodged an appeal against the decision to expel her from UKIP for "bringing the party into disrepute".

She was thrown out in March after allegations a member of her staff tried to arrange a false receipt for a meal.
The South East MEP was also replaced as the general election candidate for Folkestone and Hythe after the claims were published in The Sun newspaper.
A spokesman for Ms Atkinson confirmed she lodged an appeal over the weekend.
Ms Atkinson and her assistant, Christine Hewitt, who was also expelled from the party following a disciplinary hearing, were given 14 days to appeal.
In March, The Sun published a secret recording appearing to show Ms Hewitt asking the manager of a restaurant in Margate, Kent, for an invoice for a much higher sum than the bill she had received.
The BBC has not been able to contact Ms Hewitt for a comment.


Tyson Fury's claim he would deal with Anthony Joshua "like a cat playing with wool" is "difficult to argue with", says former world champion Carl Froch.

Fury, 28, is back in training but has not fought since beating Wladimir Klitschko on points in November 2015.
Fellow Briton Joshua, 27, stopped the Ukrainian last month in the 11th round of a fight that went back and forth.
Froch said Fury had "kind of played with Klitschko", while Joshua "struggled" when he fought him.
The three-time super-middleweight champion was a ringside commentator as Fury beat Klitschko in Dusseldorf to become world heavyweight champion.
Speaking on the Friday Sports Panel on BBC Radio 5 live, Froch said: "He had his hands behind his back at times.
"He was tapping his foot and was goading and was nonchalant in his mannerisms from the first bell right through to the last - and this is a guy that Anthony Joshua struggled with."
Fury is the subject of a UK Anti-Doping hearing, which relates to a failed test in June of last year, and a potential fight between him and Joshua could depend on the outcome.
Froch, 39, says Fury needs to get himself into fighting shape before he considers taking on the unified world champion.
He said: "He's been out of the ring two years, he's had issues that I don't want to bring up, so is he going to be the same guy who beat Klitschko?
"Of course he isn't. He's probably going to need a couple of fights but he's certainly a really exciting and interesting addition to the heavyweight division."
You can hear more from Froch on Fury and Joshua by downloading the Friday Sports Panel podcast. He also talks about unsuccessfully trying to "bury the hatchet" with former foe George Groves, who he beat in a blockbuster fight at Wembley Stadium in May 2014.


The organiser of stripper nights that never took place may have left Guernsey with more than £9,000 of ticket money.

Guernsey Police said the "gentlemen's evenings" due to be held on 21 and 22 November at Forest Park Hotel were cancelled at short notice.
Officers said the organiser left the island on 21 November and there could have been as many as 370 tickets sold at £25 each.
Anyone who bought tickets has been asked to contact police.
The force said this was so the total amount involved could be established.


Brazil has registered nearly 746,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever this year with nine states experiencing an epidemic, the health ministry has announced.

At 368 cases per 100,000 residents it amounts to an epidemic by World Health Organisation standards, but officials say the outbreak is not nationwide.
Relaxed prevention and an increase in home water storage have been blamed.
More than half of the cases were in Sao Paulo.
The number of cases there - the most populous state - has tripled since last year.
Nationwide there have been 235% more cases than in the same period (from January to 18 April) last year.
A total of 229 people have died of the disease.
Brazil has done much to counter the viral infection spread by mosquitoes which causes severe abdominal pain, vomiting and circulatory system failure.
Health Minister Arthur Chioro argued that figures for last year were exceptionally low, whereas the outbreak in 2013 had been a lot worse than now.
He said better results last year had relaxed prevention in some regions.
The BBC's Julia Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro said another factor for the rise was this year's severe drought which led to more people storing water at home.
The mosquito that carries the dengue virus breeds in containers with clear, stagnant water.
There is no vaccine against dengue, but Brazilian authorities say they are hopeful of producing one within the next year.
Scientists are also testing ways to tackle the mosquitoes' capacity to breed, says our correspondent.
In one such initiative last week, the city of Piracicaba released a first batch of up to a million mosquitoes - with a modified gene that keeps the males from reaching sexual maturity, causing the overall population to drop gradually.
Brazilian authorities believe the dengue outbreak has reached its peak as the weather is changing, becoming less favourable for the mosquitoes to spread the disease.
Dengue re-emerged in Brazil in 1981 after an absence of more than 20 years.
Over the next 30 years, seven million cases were reported.
The country reported 3.2 million cases of dengue and 800 deaths in the period 2009-2014.


A hiker who got lost on a remote part of the Appalachian Trail in the US sent text messages appealing for help and kept a journal for 26 days before she died, newly released papers show.

Geraldine Largay, 66, went missing in 2013. Text messages to her husband were not sent because there was no signal.
She left a final note asking whoever found her body to call her husband and daughter to let them know she had died.
The 2,200-mile (3,540km) trail is a popular hiking route in the eastern US.
Ms Largay, from Tennessee, disappeared in western Maine in July 2013, The Boston Globe reports. Her body was not found until more than two years later, in October 2015.
Paperwork released by the Maine Game Warden Service shows that she had gone off the trail looking for a place to relieve herself and was unable to find her way back, the newspaper says.
She even tried hiking to higher ground in a failed attempt to get a mobile phone signal, but her desperate text messages sent to her husband went undelivered, the documents show.
About 1,500 pages of documents relating to her case were released on Wednesday in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by several media organisations, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Mrs Largay set out on a three-day hike with a friend in July 2013.
Her friend turned back to deal with a family emergency, and Mrs Largay continued alone.
She failed to turn up at a pre-arranged meeting with her husband, who had been due to pick her up.
He reported her missing the next day and search parties were sent out.
The Boston Globe reports that some rescuers passed within 100yds (90m) of Mrs Largay but did not find her.
She died of starvation and exposure three weeks after the authorities had given up the search.
Mrs Largay's body was finally found by a forestry worker in October 2015 inside a collapsed tent, along with a paper map, a pencil and pen, some cord and twine, a first aid kit, baby powder, toothpaste, her mobile phone a journal and a set of rosary beads.
The land where she was found is owned by the US Navy and is used for survival and evasion courses.
She had tried to start a fire and had built a makeshift flag using a branch and some clothing in an attempt to attract attention.
The last activity on her mobile phone was on 6 August 2013, while the last entry in her journal was dated nearly two weeks later, on 18 August.


Brazilian researchers in Rio de Janeiro have released thousands of mosquitoes infected with bacteria that suppress dengue fever.

The hope is they will multiply, breed and become the majority of mosquitoes, thus reducing cases of the disease.
The initiative is part of a programme also taking place in Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
The intracellular bacteria, Wolbachia, being introduced cannot be transmitted to humans.
The programme started in 2012 says Luciano Moreira of the Brazilian research institute Fiocruz, who is leading the project in Brazil .
"Our teams performed weekly visits to the four neighbourhoods in Rio being targeted. Mosquitoes were analysed after collection in special traps.
"Transparency and proper information for the households is a priority. "
Ten thousand mosquitoes will be released each month for four months with the first release in Tubiacanga, in the north of Rio.
The bacterium Wolbachia is found in 60% of insects. It acts like a vaccine for the mosquito which carries dengue, Aedes aegypti, stopping the dengue virus multiplying in its body.
Wolbachia also has an effect on reproduction. If a contaminated male fertilises the eggs of a female without the bacteria, these eggs do not turn into larvae.
If the male and female are contaminated or if only a female has the bacteria, all future generations of mosquito will carry Wolbachia.
As a result, Aedes mosquitoes with Wolbachia become predominant without researchers having to constantly release more contaminated insects.
In Australia this happened within 10 weeks on average.
The research on Wolbachia began at the University of Monash in Australia in 2008. The researchers allowed the mosquitoes to feed on their own arms for five years because of concerns at the time Wolbachia could infect humans and domestic animals.
Three more neighbourhoods will be targeted next, and large scale studies to evaluate the effect of the strategy are planned for 2016.
Dengue re-emerged in Brazil in 1981 after an absence of more than 20 years.
Over the next 30 years, seven million cases were reported.
Brazil leads the world in the number of dengue cases, with 3.2 million cases and 800 deaths reported in the 2009-14 period.


Phil Collins has made his stage appearance since his retirement - by performing at his sons' school music concert.

The singer and drummer sang two songs with the middle school band at the Miami Country Day School, according to the Miami Herald.
He praised the school's musicians but admitted he was nervous about singing.
Collins announced his retirement in 2011, saying he wanted to spend more time with his young children.
At the time he said: "I am stopping so I can be a full time father to my two young sons on a daily basis."
His former wife, Orianne Collins Mejjati, told the Miami Herald that Collins had agreed to the school performance after being asked by their children.
He performed renditions of In the Air Tonight and Land of Confusion.
A former member of rock band Genesis, Collins went on to achieve huge success as a solo performer, including hit albums as No Jacket Required and ...But Seriously.
The winner of seven Grammy awards, he also won an Academy award for his soundtrack for the Disney animated film Tarzan.
Collins has an older daughter, Lily Collins, an actress who starred in the films Mirror Mirror and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.


Canada's economy emerged from recession in the third quarter after exports picked up, official figures show.

Gross domestic product (GDP) rose at an annualised rate of 2.3% compared with the year before.
Higher consumer spending and a more buoyant housing market also added to growth.
On Wednesday Canada's central bank meets to decide the level of interest rates. The bank has cut rates twice this year to 0.5%.
Exports were 9.4% higher in the third quarter compared with a year ago, boosted by demand for motor vehicles. Oil exports were also higher.
Previous figures showed GDP shrank by  an annualised rate of 0.5% between April and June.
That followed a contraction of 0.8% in the first quarter, meaning the economy saw two consecutive quarters of negative growth, the usual definition of recession.


Anthony Crolla says the build-up to his lightweight fight against Ricky Burns is devoid of "trash-talking" because of their respect for one other.

Crolla, who faces Burns at the Manchester Arena on 7 October, told BBC Scotland: "I can't wait for the fight.
"There will be a great travelling support from Scotland and I'll be in front of my beloved Manchester crowd.
"I've got a lot of respect for Ricky as a fighter and a person. I'll have to be at my best to beat him."
Crolla lost his WBA lightweight title to Jorge Linares in September 2016 and the Englishman, from Manchester, was also beaten by the Venezuelan in a March rematch.
Burns' last outing saw the Scot lose his WBA super-lightweight title to Julius Indongo in April.
"Everyone who knows boxing, Ricky's not the type to be trash-talking and neither am I," Crolla told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.
"Everyone who knows boxing knows that this is a fight that doesn't need that to sell. Come 7 October in that arena, there's going to be an amazing atmosphere.
"It's going to be some night. They [the preparations] have been going very well and I'm in a very good place, physically and mentally. I'm just looking forward to the fight and believe I could be ready sooner.
"We can't wait for it and the winner, I'm sure, will go on to fight for a world title again. I know that I've got to be at my best to beat him but I'm very confident that's what I will be."


A yellow dress might prove as inspirational as a green jacket for England's Charley Hull who is seeking to emulate Danny Willett's major breakthrough this year.

Of course, British golfers of both sexes are trying to harness the inspirational effects of the Yorkshireman's thrilling Masters victory.
The feel-good factor was evident with Middlesex professional Andrew Johnston's maiden European Tour victory at the Spanish Open, while Luke Donald and Russell Knox produced their best golf of the year as joint runners-up behind Branden Grace at Hilton Head on the PGA Tour.
Hull, meanwhile has found a new mental state that might yield British glory on the women's circuit. It has already brought a second-place finish in the year's opening major, the ANA Inspiration.
It was the finest performance to date from the 20-year-old Northamptonshire star, although the draining effects of the return journey from California robbed Hull of the chance to watch Willett's win live.
This will not, though, prevent her from drawing on the positivity generated by his triumph.
Media playback is not supported on this device
"I did fall asleep because I was so tired from jet lag," Hull told BBC Sport. "But I watched a re-run and he played some great stuff.
"When you sit down and watch them doing it, you know that feeling of what they are thinking.
"And it kind of inspires me for the next event to get that feeling again."
The world number 25 struggles to articulate what it feels like to be in that unique zone when you are competing effectively for the biggest prizes.
A week before the Masters, she birdied the last four holes of her third round on the Dinah Shore course at Rancho Mirage and birdied five of the last 10 to finish just a shot behind world number one Lydia Ko.
"You really want to do well but you are not thinking about it," Hull said. "And you make some birdies coming in and then you are thinking I never got ahead of myself."
When she tried to explain this mental state, she made a startling confession of how it manifested itself during her highest major finish. This is where the yellow dress comes in.
"I don't think about golf when I'm actually on the golf course," she said. "I just kind of go with the flow and just hit my shot when it's ready and don't think about it after.
"I got told off by my caddie [Adam Woodward] at the ANA on the 13th hole. I was on my tee shot and I'm really bad at listening to people. People talk to me and I'm like 'what did you just say?' I'm a bit dazed.
"So I teed up this shot and I was actually thinking about this dress I had ordered. This is so funny, it's a yellow dress I ordered, and I'm thinking about it.
"I hit my tee shot and hold my finish and I'm looking at the sky and I say to Adam: 'Where did my ball go?' He says: 'What do you mean?'
"I can't even remember hitting the shot. It went straight and he says: 'Charley, you've got to start concentrating,' and I'm like 'yeah, but I'm in the zone but out of the zone, I'm just kind of forgetting about the whole thing.'
"And that's what I have been doing lately and it's been working for me. Sometimes I used to get so far ahead of myself. It's interesting, it's weird."
Referring to recent events at Augusta where Jordan Spieth blew a five-stroke lead with nine holes to go, Hull added: "If you look at Spieth, he said if he played level-par in he would win and he got ahead of himself.
"I used to do that a lot but now I just go out there and think if I made birdie on the last hole I can make birdie at the next."
Britain's top woman golfer is back in action on the LPGA Tour in Texas next week but looming further on the horizon is an event which will test to the limit her unorthodox form of concentration.
Hull will be the star attraction at July's Ricoh Women's British Open, staged at Woburn, her home club. I played alongside her as she sought to further familiarise herself with the Marquess'  Course and it was impossible not to be struck by her carefree attitude.
Her biggest concern was whether the soggy track would be open the following day for a game she had arranged with friends. All that would be at stake would be bragging rights in their local pub.
Yet, it was clear Hull was as motivated to win that contest as she might be in July when a major title is on the line.
She accepts that home advantage may be compromised and not just because the Kettering player usually practises on the other two Woburn courses, the Duke's and the Duchess'.
Maintaining her "zoned-out" mental state will be "super hard to do," she said, explaining: "Because when I'm away I'm usually thinking about home or something. Now I'm going to be at home so it's going to be tricky.
"Hopefully my friends will be around, so it'll take my mind off it. It's a major on my home golf course and my sponsors back the tournament, so it's a lot of pressure but I think it is going to be fun."
At Augusta, Willett certainly showed how enjoyable it was to gain a new green jacket.
Perhaps Hull should put in another clothing order this July because thinking about its arrival might just help her land a first major title.
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Charities supporting looked after children and vulnerable families have been awarded £3.28m by the Scottish government.

The money will go to 27 organisations, including Aberlour, Includem, Mentor Scotland and the NSPCC.
The awards are part of next year's Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund.
They were confirmed by Childcare Minister Mark McDonald at Holyrood.
He was speaking during a Scottish government debate on improving the care experience for looked after children.
The funding awards will include an innovative scheme to help looked after children use the law to maintain contact with siblings. and a project that provides therapeutic interventions for looked after children and other vulnerable young people in Glasgow.
Mr McDonald said the money would also help to provide support for vulnerable families that may help prevent more children becoming looked after.
He added: "Over the decades we have learned a lot about what works when it comes to intervening in the lives of children who have been neglected, abused and traumatised.
"We are making real progress through Getting It Right for Every Child, changing culture and practice to prevent children coming into care and to intervene early when they are at risk of becoming looked after.
"This work is vital and must continue."
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the SNP conference in October that a "root and branch review" of Scotland's children in care system would be carried out.


At least 30 people have drowned after a boat carrying a football team and their fans capsized on Lake Albert in Uganda, police say.

The overcrowded vessel was carrying some 45 people. Police say the boat became unbalanced when too many passengers moved to one side.
Nine bodies have been recovered, and 15 people have been rescued, reports say.
Boat accidents are fairly common on Lake Albert and in other parts of Africa.
Vessels are often packed with too many people and goods, and in a poor state.
Police commander John Rutagira told AFP news agency that most passengers were drunk by the time they embarked on the boat.
The group, from Buliisa District, was on its way to a Christmas day football match in Hoima District, singing songs and blowing trumpets and whistles.
Fishermen have helped authorities on the rescue operation.
In November, 10 people drowned in Lake Albert on the country's western shore.


Maldives police have used pepper spray to break up a protest about freedom of speech, officials say.

At least 16 of the protesters, who were mostly journalists, were arrested.
The demonstration was against government moves to introduce a new law to criminalise defamation.
Observers says it is the latest sign of tension in the Maldives between those calling for greater democratic freedoms and a government increasingly unwilling to allow critics.
A week ago, senior journalists in the Indian Ocean archipelago said in a joint statement the bill would "prevent journalists and citizens from speaking out over serious accusations of corruption and the integrity of state officials".
Demonstrators had gathered outside the office of President Abdulla Yameen in the capital Male on Sunday.
They fear that if enacted, the bill would be used against private media and political opponents of the government.
Protesters were also angry about:
Officials said the protest was broken up by police because demonstrators had gathered in a protected area.
Those detained were reported to be from Haveeru, The Maldives Independent and private TV stations.
The Maldives Independent said its editor Zaheena Rasheed and Sangu TV Managing Director Ibrahim Waheed were among those arrested.
It said some journalists were injured and taken to hospital.


A suspected gas explosion has blown the roof off a house while a man and woman were inside.

The blast at a two-storey house in Wiggin Street, Edgbaston, Birmingham happened at about 12:20 BST.
A neighbour told the BBC she saw a man run out from the wreckage screaming.
A man, thought to be in his late 30s, made his own way to City Hospital but his burns were so severe he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.
More updates on the blast and news from Birmingham.
A woman was checked at the scene and was uninjured.
Next door neighbour Tracy Clayton was at home with her husband Bilal Azhar when they felt a "huge explosion".
"The neighbour next door to us whose house was blown up, he ran out screaming," she said.
"I think he was on fire or hurt."
She added: "Everything fell on top of us. The roof gave in. There was just smoke everywhere, bricks flying.
"I switched my electric off and thought about my cat and did not know where it was but she was unharmed thank God."
West Midlands Police said a small number of homes had been evacuated as a precaution.
"Investigations at the scene are likely to be suspended once it gets dark, then continue tomorrow," said West Midlands Fire Service.


Astronauts on the International Space Station, trying to inflate a new space home, have hit a bit of a snag.

27 May 2016 Last updated at 15:35 BST
The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, or Beam for short, hasn't blown up properly.
It's part of a two year experiment to give a more comfortable place for those on board the ISS to live and work.
Ayshah's been finding out what this means for Tim Peake and his fellow astronauts.
Pictures from Nasa


The Law Society has said it was "wrong" over claims that parents picking children up from school wearing alcohol-branded sports tops could be criminalised by proposed new laws.

The Alcohol Bill proposes restrictions on advertising and sponsorship around schools, nurseries and playgrounds.
Archie MacIver, of the Law Society of Scotland, was speaking at Holyrood's Health and Sport Committee.
He said MSPs could "draw a line through" earlier written evidence.
In its submission to the committee, the Law Society had warned that the bill risked affecting unknowing members of the public.
It had said that under the proposed law, a parent or guardian wearing a football or rugby jersey with an advertisement promoting alcohol when collecting children from school would be committing an offence.
The proposed ban was brought to the Scottish Parliament by Labour MSP Dr Richard Simpson as a Member's Bill.
The proposals would introduce a ban on "fixed advertising" such as billboards or window displays within 200 metres of schools, nurseries and children's play areas.
It would also end drinks advertising at sporting and cultural events principally targeted at those under the age of 18.
Mr MacIver told the health committee: "There is one aspect I think I should correct because it is, in my view, on reflection, wrong.
"We did cite examples of someone wearing a football jersey turning up at school gates. I accept that is not a fixed place so perhaps members could draw a line through that one.
"Unless you have got a very lazy parent who is standing there for days on end."
An online survey carried out by the committee found that 78% of the 543 respondents supported a ban on alcohol advertising near schools, and 83% supported a ban on alcohol sponsorship at events targeted at under 18s.