HMG RESOURCING
- From the evidence provided by HMG to this Inquiry, there appears to have been an increase in the Government's focus on China since 2020, reflecting both the threat posed and the priorities of the Government. We would have expected to see a concurrent increase of resourcing dedicated to the China mission and therefore questioned each organisation on the resources it has been allocating to work on China,[1] and whether that has changed.
SIS
- After 1997, SIS effort[2] on China reduced, but since 2004/05 it has been seeking to rebuild resources:[3]
- The percentage of operational effort dedicated to China has *** over the past 20 years, ranging between ***% (1999) and ***% (2003).
- For 2018/19 the figure stood at ***% (for comparative purposes, the figure for Russia was ***%).
- This equated to a financial spend of £*** (out of £***).[4]
- In 2020, the figure increased to ***%, and a financial spend of £*** (out of £***).[5]
- In terms of staff dedicated to China, figures[6] show *** from *** full-time equivalent (FTE) (2005/06) to *** FTE for 2019/20.[7]
- Of these, ***.[8]
- ↑ Each organisation records its resourcing and allocation of operational effort differently. Figures provided below relate to percentages of operational effort, financial spend and FTE staff numbers.
- ↑ ***
- ↑ Oral evidence—SIS, *** January 2008.
- ↑ Written evidence—SIS, 28 February 2020.
- ↑ Written evidence—SIS, 18 November 2020.
- ↑ Figures have only been provided from 2005 onwards.
- ↑ Written evidence—SIS, 18 November 2020.
- ↑ These figures include permanent staff and loans/contingent workers. SIS noted in its written evidence of June 2019 that these numbers do not take into account the additional functions that support the China mission, such as *** and wider corporate services etc.
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