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HMG Resourcing

1. • The allocation of effort^[1] has increased *** over the past two decades from ***% in 1999 to ***% in 2019 and then ***% in 2020.^[2]
   • Towards the end of 2020, the JIC Chair told us: "*** In terms of my time, I would say that I probably spend about ***% of my time on China, something of that sort."^[3]

 

Other organisations

189. DI statistics for 2020 show that:
     • *** analysts spent 50% or more of their time on China (a decrease from *** last year) and *** analysts spent less than 50% of their time on China (an increase from *** last year).
     • ***
     • DI spends £*** on China-related activity.^[4] Alongside broader politico-military analysis, this includes:
       • *** partnership programme with the defence industry in order to ensure that insights *** are then shared in an appropriate manner with the defence industry to advise them about how they can protect themselves;
       • ***; and
       • ***.^[5]
190. DI has previously told the Committee that it does not hold comprehensive records relating to allocations of effort on China for past years.^[6] We found that difficult to understand. DI explained that "allocation of effort is challenging [for it] to calculate given the range of intelligence capabilities and specialisms within DI, many of which cover multiple geographic areas". Notwithstanding that, we are surprised that information on allocation of effort on an area as supposedly significant as China is not readily to hand so that it can be kept under constant review.
191. Homeland Security Group^[7] statistics for 2020 show that:
     • Approximately *** staff^[8] worked on China ***.^[9]

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1. ***
2. Written evidence—JIO, 8 March 2021.
3. Oral evidence—JIO, *** October 2020.
4. Written evidence—DI, 13 June 2019, 4 September 2020.
5. Oral evidence—DI, *** December 2020.
6. Written evidence—DI, 13 June 2019.
7. From 1 April 2021, the Home Office moved to a new structure and the work of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism (OSCT) is now carried out by Homeland Security Group. Therefore, OSCT is now referred to as Homeland Security Group.
8. Senior staff have not been counted in this number, although a portion of their work will involve China-related issues. Homeland Security Group also notes that its contribution to the Home Office's China effort is wider than stated above "as there are a number of areas (such as Border Security, HSA strategy and Counter-HSA legislation) where policy work is thematically rather than geographically focused". ***. (Written evidence—OSCT, 28 February 2020.)
9. Written evidence—OSCT, 28 February 2020.

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