Budget and Staff - Security Service MI5
The size and
structure of the Service has altered considerably
in recent years and will continue to do so, to
reflect changing threats and working methods,
resource pressures, and the implementation of
new information technology.
The total staff is approximately around 1,900 having declined from 2,150 at the end of the Cold War. The agency has a budget of £140mM.
STAFF
The Service currently employs around 1,900
people, equivalent to 1,860 full-time staff. 47%
of the staff are women, 54% are under the age
of 40 and 5% work part-time. In addition, over
100 staff are currently working in the Service
on secondment or attachment from other
departments and agencies. Drawn from all walks of life, the
staff are a mixture of specialists (including
linguists, technicians and surveillance officers)
and generalist intelligence and administrative
staff.
The main investigative, assessment and policy
work of the Service is carried out by generalist
staff, who account for about two-thirds of
the total. But their work requires support
from a range of specialists in languages,
technology, surveillance, IT, communications
and protective security.
More than a quarter of them are specialist staff who have brought their particular skills to the job or have been trained after joining. These staff have a wide range of expertise and include linguists, computer experts,communications specialists, scientists, technical staff, as well as building maintenance staff, catering staff, printers, drivers, mechanics and porters. The remainder are generalists. Some of them join as recent graduates or equivalent to carry out the intelligence tasks, (investigation, assessment of risks and operational work), policy and key administrative work. Others join at a more junior level for administrative, clerical and support work. Occasionally there is a requirement to recruit a small number of generalists at the middle management level.
Recruitment of Staff
The Service recruits a wide range of staff,
including specialists, graduates and school
leavers. Because of the Service’s exacting
requirements for integrity and reliability, all
candidates are vetted to the highest level of
security clearance, known as Developed Vetting
(DV). In 1997 the Service for the first time
advertised openly in the national press for new
recruits. Candidates applying to the Civil Service
Fast Stream can, on passing the qualifying test
for the Civil Service Selection Board, nominate
the Service as the department they wish to join.
Staff Development and Training
The Service places emphasis on training and
development for all members of staff. On
joining the Service staff receive structured
induction training and one-to-one mentoring
according to the work they are to undertake.
This is supplemented by training in specific
skills required for particular posts. Further
development opportunities occur as staff move
periodically to different posts in the Service.
Most training is carried out internally by the
Service’s own professionally-trained staff,
though sometimes external training providers are
also used. Some specialist staff are recruited with
the required qualifications and expertise, while
others, such as surveillance staff, are given
intensive in-house training. Graduate entrants to
the Service’s general duties staff receive a six
month training package which combines formal
courses with substantial periods of work
experience. Staff also have the opportunity to
study for relevant external qualifications.
Staff Forum
The Staff Forum is a body of elected
representatives from across the Service. It serves
as a channel of communication to senior
management of staff views on matters of
general concern, and it provides a means of
consultation on key issues such as terms and
conditions of service and pay. Staff Forum
business is conducted both through formal
meetings, chaired by the Director General, and
through continuing contacts and discussion
between Forum representatives and members
of the senior management and the
personnel branch.
The Staff Counsellor
Since 1987 all members of the Security Service,
SIS and GCHQ have had access to an external
Staff Counsellor. The Staff Counsellor is
available for private consultation by any
member of the three services who may have
concerns about the nature or propriety of their
work. Under these terms of reference he sends a
report, at least annually, to the Prime Minister
and to the relevant Secretaries of State (the
Home Secretary in the case of the Security
Service).
Equal Opportunities
The Service operates an equal opportunities policy.
The selection of new recruits and decisions on
staff for promotion are based on merit, irrespective
of ethnic origin, gender, marital status, sexual
orientation, disability, race or religion.
Anonymity of Staff
With the exception of the Director General, who
since 1992 has been publicly named on
appointment, the Service has a firm policy of
keeping the identities and home addresses of its
staff out of the public domain. This policy of
anonymity remains a necessity because of the
personal threat that staff would otherwise face,
particularly from terrorist groups, some of which
are known to regard the Service as a prime
target. It is also vital for the success of
intelligence-gathering operations that the
Service’s staff can operate under cover against
target organisations or in hostile situations
without being identified as Security Service
officers. Staff would no longer be widely
deployable if their identity or appearance were
compromised, with consequential damage to
the Service’s effectiveness. Public identification
of someone as a member of the Service,
including his or her appearance, could also have
serious implications for the security of agents
with whom that officer may have worked in the
past. The consequences of publicity can
therefore extend to others besides the individual
member of the Service. Another reason for
anonymity is that it greatly reduces the scope
for targeting by foreign intelligence services,
criminals or others wishing to penetrate or
corrupt the Service.
For these reasons, judges have allowed Security
Service staff to give evidence in criminal trials
anonymously, including the use of screens to
protect the appearance of the witnesses. These
arrangements correspond to those for
undercover or specialist police officers, or
members of the special forces, when they give
evidence. The decision on these issues, however,
rests with the judge in each case. Even where
the judge makes an order for the screening and
anonymity of Security Service witnesses, their
evidence remains subject to cross-examination
by the defence in the normal way.
BUDGET
The Security Service budget for the financial
year 1997/98 was less than £140m. Direct
expenditure on the Service’s core areas of work
accounted for around two-thirds of the total
budget, apportioned as follows:
Per cent
Terrorism related to Northern Ireland 25.0
International Terrorism 15.5
Espionage 12.0
Protective Security 7.5
Serious Crime 2.5
Proliferation 2.0
The remaining major areas of expenditure are:
technological development – in a constantly
changing environment the Service must invest
in the development of its investigative
capabilities in order to maintain a technological
edge over sophisticated targets and to enhance
efficiency; assisting other agencies in their
work, such as the Secret Intelligence Service
(SIS) and Government Communications
Headquarters (GCHQ), and the Royal Ulster
Constabulary (RUC); work to ensure compliance
with the Service’s accountability
arrangements, together with internal security,
financial management and resource planning.
In line with the now reduced threat, the Service
currently devotes only 12% of its budget to all
aspects of counter-espionage. This is
significantly less than in the period prior to the
fall of the Berlin Wall, when around a half of
the Service’s resources were focused directly on
the substantial espionage threat posed by the
Soviet Union and its allies alone.
With the collapse of Soviet communism, and
taking into account the intentions and declining
capabilities of subversive groups, the Service
scaled down its work in this area over a number
of years. The Security Service currently has no
investigations in this area. During the financial
year 1997/98 only 0.3% of the Service’s
resources were allocated to the remnants of this
work, predominantly to pay the pensions of
retired agents.
The Service’s budget is paid from the Single
Intelligence Vote (SIV), which carries the budget
provision for all three security and intelligence
agencies, and for which the Cabinet Secretary
is the Accounting Officer. In 1997/98 the SIV
totalled £701 million, of which Security Service
expenditure was less than £140 million. Both
the total size of the SIV and the Service’s share
of it are determined annually by Ministers under
arrangements similar to those which apply to all
other government departments. Those
arrangements are designed to enable Ministers
to decide on the amount to be spent on
security and intelligence, in the context of
decisions on the overall level and allocation of
government spending. Like other departments,
the Security Service is subject to close
budgetary scrutiny and challenging
efficiency targets.
Permanent Secretaries’ Committee on the
Intelligence Services (PSIS)
In reaching decisions about the size of the SIV
and each agency’s share of it, Ministers receive
advice from PSIS, which scrutinises the three
agencies’ annual expenditure forecasts, plans
and intelligence requirements. PSIS is chaired by
the Cabinet Secretary and its members are the
Permanent Secretaries of the Home Office,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of
Defence and Treasury. PSIS itself receives advice
from the inter-departmental committee
SO(SSPP) (see left) which scrutinises and
validates the Security Service’s plans, and from
the JIC in respect of GCHQ and SIS.
National Audit Office (NAO)
The Service operates within the financial
framework of government accounting and is
subject to audit in the normal way by the
National Audit Office. NAO staff have access to
the Service’s records for this purpose. The
Service’s accounts are certified by the
Comptroller and Auditor General.
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/uk/mi5/budget.htm
Created by John Pike
Maintained by Steven Aftergood
Updated Thursday, August 06, 1998 6:30:35 PM
