The cost of the Presidency may be examined by the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee.

Its chairman has said the rise in the cost of running the Áras should be looked at.

The President is deemed to be 'above politics' and as a result is exempt from Freedom of Information legislation.

This means we don't know a huge amount about the day to day spending in Áras an Uachtarain.

What we do know Is the cost of running the Áras has risen by more than half a million euro over the past six years - and that salary costs have been around 15 million since 2011.

This has led the head of the Public Accounts Committee Sean Fleming to say the figures should be examined.

His committee colleague and Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane agrees:

"I think any scrutiny of any public spend is the right thing to do but it would be a mistake to do it in the heat of the presidential campaign, I think that would open up the Public Accounts committee to allegations of doing it for political purposes."

There may not be the time for PAC to examine the figures in September, with other issues also due on the agenda such as the Cervical Check scandal.