Members of the Dail Public Accounts Committee have expressed concern that new agencies being set up to tackle unemployment in depressed areas are not answerable to it.
They have sought a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General listing the agencies concerned and what auditing arrangements have been made to monitor their use of public funds.
Among the bodies involved are area partnerships, county enterprise boards and projects funded through the EU LEADER programme. The issue was raised by several TDs at yesterday's meeting of the committee.
Mr John Dennehy TD (Fianna Fail) said senior county managers had expressed concern to him at the lack of accountability for funds spent on these bodies. Mr Conor Lenihan TD (Fianna Fail) said the projects had the capacity to become "political slush funds".
Mr Bernard Durkan (Fine Gael) said the amounts spent by these agencies were considerable and they were effectively satellites of the State.
The Comptroller and Auditor General, Mr John Purcell, said there were organisations outside his remit, including the National Stud and National Building Asso ciation. He said he would prepare a report on the organisations concerned.