asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty the numbers of upper-deck petty officers and ordnance artificers who have signed on to complete time for pension during the quarter ended 25th March, 1947; and in each case what percentage this represents of those eligible to do so.

The number of upperdeck petty officers who have been reported as re-engaging to complete time for pension during the quarter ending 25th March, 1947, is 74; the total number of artificers is 11, but separate figures for ordnance artificers are not available. Many reports are still in transit, and complete figures will not be available for some time. Reports received up to date show that of the upper-deck petty officers whose first engagement terminated during the quarter, 19 per cent. have re-engaged, but these reports are also incomplete.