ABOUT US
At any one time the UK faces a range of covert threats to its security. The Security Service has only finite resources with which to counter them. It is vital that we prioritise these threats and allocate resources accordingly, taking into account the national intelligence priorities set by the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC).
The Service's budget is paid from the Single Intelligence Account (SIA) covering all three of the UK's intelligence agencies - see our Funding page for more details. We do not publish the Service's share of the SIA for security reasons but this page provides an overview of how we make use of our resources.
| Security Service allocation of resources | Counter-terrorism & protective security |
| Counter-espionage | |
| External assistance | |
| Counter-proliferation | |
| Emerging and other threats |
(Allocation of resources by core business, April 2008: Counter-terrorism and protective security, 91%; counter-espionage, 3.5%; counter-proliferation, 3%; external assistance, 2%; emerging and other threats, 0.5%)
Counter-terrorism and protective security
The Service's principal activity is the fight against terrorism, both international and domestic (mostly related to Northern Ireland), and the provision of protective security in support of that task. Around 91% of the Service's resources are currently dedicated to counter-terrorism work and protective security.
Pie chart indicating Counter-terrorism resource percentages
The level of resources dedicated to this area of work has grown considerably in the last few years due to the increased threat of international terrorism. The Government has increased the amount of resources given to the Service as a whole, and we have increased the proportion of those resources spent on combating terrorism.
The fight against international terrorism accounts for the majority of our counter-terrorism expenditure. We are continuing to do a substantial amount of work to counter Northern Ireland-related terrorism and we took on additional responsibilities for counter-terrorist work in the region in late 2007. Around 15% of our resources now go into Northern Ireland-related work.
The provision of anti-terrorist protective security accounts for another 10% of expenditure.
Pie chart indicating 3.5 percentDuring the Cold War, the fight against Soviet and Warsaw Pact espionage was the main focus of the Service's work. The threat has diminished greatly since the collapse of the Soviet Union but hostile foreign activity remains a focus of concern, particularly concerning the activities of the Russian and Chinese intelligence services.
Counter-espionage work now accounts for 3.5% of the Service's resources. Although this is a smaller percentage than in January 2007, when it accounted for 5% of the Service's resources, the level of expenditure in this area has remained fairly constant while the Service's overall expenditure has increased.
Pie chart indicating 2 percentWe work closely with a variety of other organisations involved in safeguarding the UK's national security, notably GCHQ and the Secret Intelligence Service. A small proportion of our resources (currently 2%) is utilised to support this work.
Pie chart indicating 3 percentThe proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a serious concern, as it poses a potential threat to the UK's national security. The Service has played a part in combating this threat since 1992, supporting the work of other Government organisations which take the lead in this area. Work on counter-proliferation issues currently accounts for 3% of our resources.
Pie chart indicating 0.5 percentRapid developments in technology, the changing face of security issues and the emergence of extremist movements pose challenges for the UK's future national security. The Service has undertaken "horizon scanning" work since 2000 to identify possible new risks from indigenous extremism.
This work is intended to reduce the likelihood that new threats will appear without warning. It accounts for under 0.5% of the Service's resources.
The following chart shows changes in the proportions of expenditure in each of our major areas of work, from January 2007 through to April 2008.
Bar graph comparing resources in 2007 and 2008
After major changes in our expenditure in 2006 when the Government significantly increased resources for all three of the UK's security and intelligence agencies, the level of our expenditure has remained fairly constant through 2007, with minor changes to the proportions. The new resources that we received in 2006-2007 are enabling us to increase our staff numbers and invest in new technologies.
During much of the 20th century, subversion was a major issue of concern for the Security Service (and one that was much misunderstood - see our page on Cold War subversion). This threat diminished sharply following the end of the Cold War and for the last five years has been assessed as negligible.
The Service no longer undertakes counter-subversion work, and would only take it up again if our monitoring of emerging threats suggested an increase in the subversive threat.
We also no longer undertake work on serious crime, which we suspended in early 2006 so that we could concentrate on counter-terrorist work.