asked the Secretary of State for Defence how it is proposed to deal with the pensions of retired members of the Services and their widows, to

OFFICERS
On Code of	Effective from			Covers Retirements	Percentage Increase
					per cent.
1956 and earlier Codes	1st April, 1956	…	…	On or before 31st January, 1960	16
1960	1st April, 1960	…	…	Between 1st February, 1960, and 31st January, 1962, inclusive.	10
1962	1st April, 1962	…	…	Between 1st February, 1962, and 31st January, 1964, inclusive.	6
1964	1st April, 1964	…	…	On and after 1st February, 1964	2
OTHER RANKS
1956 and earlier Codes	1st April, 1956	…	…	On or before 3rd November, 1958	16
1959	1st April, 1959	…	…	Between 4th November, 1958, and 30th January, 1962, inclusive.	12
1962	1st April, 1962	…	…	Between 31st January, 1962, and 30th January, 1964	6
1964	1st April, 1964	…	…	On and after 31st January, 1964	2

So far as family pensions are concerned, all of which are either one-third of the husband's pension or the minimum flat rate where more favourable, the latter would attract the increase of 16 per cent. while the former would attract the percentage increase which would have been given to the husband had he been alive and aged 60.

asked the Minister of Labour how many sons of Commonwealth immigrants were among the 110,000 boys who obtained apprenticeships in the first nine months of this year; and what steps he will take to ensure that immigrant children on leaving school have access on their merits to this form of training.

The information asked for in the first part of the Question is not available. The Central Youth Employment Executive has issued a memorandum to all youth employment officers emphasising the principle that immigrant boys and girls should be enabled to obtain employment and train-

Subject to Royal Assent being given to the Bill in the form now before Parliament, the changes in Service pensions would be:ing suitable to their abilities on equal terms with other young people and asking youth employment officers to use every opportunity to persuade employers of the wide variety of jobs in industry and commerce for which immigrant young people may be suitable.

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works what is his Department's policy in employing private quantity surveyors; and if he will make a statement.

Most quantity surveying work is done by the Ministry's own staff, but outside firms are employed particularly for the preparation of Bills of Quantity. About 500 such commissions are given in an average year.Firms are chosen from a panel selected on the basis of size, suitability and location. To ensure an average of 2 to 3 commissions a year for those on the panel it has been customary for many years to select the final panel by ballot from suitable firms. This continuing practice has given rise to criticism.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will state the number of dwellings in Great Britain in 1951 and 1964, respectively; and, in respect of each of these years, the number of dwellings occupied by their owners, the number let by local authorities, and the number let by private landlords.

The estimated number of dwellings is as follows:

DWELLINGS IN GREAT BRITAIN
	Millions
	1951 (April)	1964 (end of)
Owner-occupied	3·9	7·9
Public authority rented	2·5	4·9
	(0·1)	(0·2)
Privately rented	7·4	4·4
	(0·6)	(0·6)
Totals	13·8	17·2

(Richmond, Surrey), asked the Minister of Transport, when the statutory procedures will be completed for the line of the M.4 motorway.

I am anxious that they should be completed as soon as possible and I hope to publish all the remaining draft Schemes by mid-1966. I cannot forecast the rate of progress thereafter, which will depend on the number and weight of objections, but the procedures cannot normally be completed in less than two years from publication of the draft Scheme.

asked the Minister of Technology whether he will make a statement on the development of the hovercraft.

Yes.The development of the hovercraft has now reached an advanced stage.During the last year a number of undertakings both in the U.K. and abroad have been operating small hovercraft carrying up to 38 passengers on regular services. In particular, over 100,000 passengers have been carried across the Solent in little more than three months, and the advantages of convenience and timesaving have resulted in the hovercraft becoming the preferred method of travel on this route for many business men.Licences have been acquired by American and Japanese companies to manufacture hovercraft to British designs and patents, and other countries are starting developments of their own. But this country has by far the greatest experience of design, manufacture and operation of hovercroft, and I believe we still have a lead thanks largely to the ingenuity and determination of the inventor and the faith shown by the National Research Development Corporation and by the manufacturers and transport operators who have taken a stake in this field.A major step forward is about to be taken with the production of the 150-ton SRN4—four times the size of the largest hovercraft so far built. A Swedish consortium has ordered two SRN4 for a cross-Channel service. I am now glad to announce that the Railways Board have decided to acquire experience of this important new means of transport, and they have accordingly obtained the approval of my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport to negotiate for the first SRN4 to operate as a combined car and passenger ferry across the Solent starting in 1968.