asked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether any difficulty is being experienced with the present system of advancement rosters; and the average time now served by petty officers of the seamen and stokers' branches of the Portsmouth Port Division before advancement to chief petty officer?

The answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As regards the second part, according to the latest returns available, the average time now served by petty officers of the seamen and stoker branches of the Portsmouth Port Division before advancement to chief petty officer is 11.2 and 11.4 years, respectively.