Home Office (civil servants)

While the most senior positions in the Home Office, such as Home Secretary, are ministerial appointments made by the Prime Minister, there is a large civil service to support them. The most senior civil servant in the department is known as the Permanent Under-Secretary of State. They have a deputy to assist, often referred to as the Second Permanent Secretary. 

Depending on the era, there also would be Assistant Under-Secretaries of State who would oversee a group of Divisions. Heads of Division had the title Assistant Secretary.

For much of the period of the spycops scandal, the Home Office civil service was divided into Divisions, with specific responsibilities. Of relevance to the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) was F4 Division which had responsibility for counter-terrorism, security liaison, subversive activities and protection. At different points it also had responsibility for public order, complaints against the police and in some years 'relations between police and coloured immigrants'. For fuller details of the Home Office divisions see the Police and Constabulary Almanacs. Almanacs

As such, F4 had oversight of both Special Branch and the Security Service (MI5). It was the first point of contact between Special Branch and the Home Office and played a key role in the upwards dissemination of the SDS Annual Reports. Often, however, oversight and decisions relating to the SDS, for example regarding continued funding, would go higher up, to one of the Home Office Under-Secretaries.