Claims that royal gifts have been sold on for profit are for the taxman not Parliament to investigate, the chairman of a key committee of MPs has told the BBC.

Edward Leigh was speaking after some members of his Commons Public Accounts Committee - which probes state finances and spending - called for an inquiry into the allegations.

It is more a matter for Inland Revenue if it's looking at treatment of gifts in kind

Edward Leigh Public Accounts Committee

It follows reports that some official gifts to members of the Royal Family had been sold on by servants.

The reports emerged in the course of the stream of royal stories which followed the collapse of the trial of former royal butler Paul Burrell.

Inquiry rules

Labour MP Ian Davidson, a member of the public account committee told the Daily Mail newspaper the committee would want to look into the claims if they were true.

"All of the money they receive should be used to offset the huge sums which the public purse provides for them," said Mr Davidson.

We are in this farcical position where it is hard for us even to debate the issue because we cannot even obliquely criticise the Queen

Stephen Pound

Official gifts are not taxed but are meant to belong to the state and not be resold.

Conservative MP Mr Leigh said his committee only looked into issues investigated by the National Audit Office (NAO).

Under current constitutional rules, the audit office could not examine the finances of the royal family or the BBC, said Mr Leigh.

"We believe Parliament should be entitled to look at the royal finances or the civil list," Mr Leigh told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The Queen's personal finances were audited by accountancy firm KPMG, he explained.

Queen's 'good value'

The committee did want to be able to look at "important issues", such as staffing numbers at Buckingham Palace.

But even if it had the power, it was not likely that the committee would want to look at gifts, such as a Rolex watch costing about �3,000, said Mr Leigh.

"It is more a matter for Inland Revenue if it's looking at treatment of gifts in kind."

Mr Leigh praised the Queen for doing a very good job at an annual cost of �35m.

That compared with the �100m bill for the Italian presidency, added the MP.

In the wake of the Paul Burrell controversy, some MPs are said to be trying to draw up a parliamentary petition calling for the Queen to lose her nominal role in prosecutions.

But they are being hindered by rules preventing MPs from criticising the Queen.

Labour MP Stephen Pound told the Daily Mail: "We are in this farcical position where it is hard for us even to debate the issue because we cannot even obliquely criticise the Queen.

"All we are trying to do is to get the whole issue of the monarchical role in the judical system out into the daylight so it can be discussed."