§ Mr. Trotterasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether, in the light of his remarks on 14th December, Official Report, column 1172, he will make arrangements for the Chiefs of Staff to express their views on defence cuts either in the Press or directly to hon. Members. Members.
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§ Mr. MulleyThe advice given by the Chiefs of Staff to Ministers is confidential.
As I said in the House on 12th January, when explaining the remarks I made on 14th December, what I had in mind was that it was important that the Chiefs of Staff spoke for themselves directly to the Prime Minister, as they are entitled to do.