The 18 religious congregations who are parties to the controversial indemnity deal with the Government have said they are prepared in principle to appear before hearings by the Public Accounts Committee into the affair.
However, representatives have sought information about exactly what information the committee is seeking from the orders.
The PAC has launched an inquiry into the deal after a report by the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) which found the potential cost of the State's redress scheme could exceed 1 billion.
This compares with a 128 million contribution from the religious orders, two-thirds of it in property transfers, in return for a full indemnity against future lawsuits from former residents of children's homes and industrial schools.
Along with documentation from the Department of Education, the offices of the Taoiseach and the Attorney General, the PAC also invited the religious orders to provide any documentation they had in relation to the deal, and for representatives to appear before the committee.
In a letter last week to the clerk of the Public Accounts Committee, Sister Helena Donoghue, the co-ordinator for the Contributing Congregations, confirmed "the willingness in principle" of the 18 congregations to mandate representatives to appear before the committee at its invitation.
However, she said the congregations wanted information on a number of points before attending.
"The congregations had no involvement in the process by which the Comptroller & Auditor General gathered information [on the redress scheme and its negotiations]," according to the letter.
"This being so it is not apparent to the Congregations how they could be of help to the Committee in its deliberations".
The letter asks the committee to specify each matter in the CAG report "upon which the help of Congregations is sought".