The Public Accounts Committee has been told that Angela Kerins will threaten legal action if further details of her former pay and conditions are released.

Rehab officials have told the committee that the group received legal letters from the former Rehab CEO last night.

The PAC was this morning told that another former Rehab chief, Frank Flannery, has also refused to reveal any of his previous pay or pension entitlements.

The chairman of Rehab's remuneration committee Declan Doyle says the group's hands are now tied.

"The board's approach to this hearing has been to meet the requests of the PAC wherever possible," he said.

"However, in this instance, meeting the requests of the committee would involve Rehab breaching the law as it related to the former chief executive and Mr Flannery, something, you will understand, we cannot do."

The chairman of the PAC earlier condemned what he calls the "cat-and-mouse game" of getting the former CEOs to attend the hearings.

John McGuinness said that the pair are doing damage to the wider charity sector by refusing to attend.

Rehab chairman Brian Kerr this morning said the group could not compel either of the two former chief executives to attend.

But Deputy McGuinness says he wants the full assistance of everyone connected to Rehab who have information of how it spends public money.

Earlier today, Taoiseach Enda Kenny refused to take questions from reporters on the matter.

He was rushed out of Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel following an Enterprise Ireland launch.

He was followed by a group of journalists on Stephen’s Green in Dublin, who wanted to hear his views on Frank Flannery’s non-appearance and whether he agreed with Mr Flannery’s assessment that the Committee was going beyond its remit, but he did not take questions.

The Taoiseach has previously said that Mr Flannery should take questions over the Rehab controversy, and he stated today that he stands by that position.