The National Museum in Cardiff could come under assembly control

Mr Morgan said an announcement would be made this autumn on which organisations would come under the control of the assembly government.

It comes days after he confirmed the Welsh Development Agency, Wales Tourist Board and Elwa will all be scrapped.

That signalled the start of the "bonfire of the quangos", promised by Welsh Labour almost 10 years ago.

The arts are about risk, imagination, innovation, and those don't sit very well with bureaucracy and civil servants Sybil Crouch, former chair, Arts Council of Wales

Meeting quango heads in Cardiff on Friday, the first minister said it would not be fair to delay the process beyond 2006 because a Welsh assembly election campaign would be under way the following year.

More than 1,500 people work for the three quangos that will definitely be scrapped, but it is not known yet how many of these will be transferred into the Welsh assembly administration.

Quangos - which stands for quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations - are semi-independent agencies of the assembly government.

They operate as arm's-length executive bodies responsible to boards appointed by ministers.

Speculation

Mr Morgan's initial announcement on the first three quangos to go was greeted with applause in the assembly chamber, and most AMs from all parties welcomed it.

But there has been opposition. Labour Clwyd West MP Gareth Thomas criticised the WDA decision as "the wrong bonfire under the wrong quango" and the agency's chief executive, Graham Hawker, resigned because he said he was ill-equipped to lead it into the civil service.

Speculation has been mounting that those under threat could include the arts quangos.

Reports have suggested that the Arts Council of Wales, the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, the National Library of Wales and the Welsh Books Council could be next.

Rhodri Morgan says the 'quango state' is disappearing

Sibyl Crouch, former chair of the Arts Council of Wales, said if it did fall under assembly government control it would be "difficult to see what would be achieved."

"When I was in charge," she said, "I led a massive restructuring to make the arts council more accountable and responsive - working with the assembly to do that.

"While some of that has been turned back, I think most would agree that the arts council has more confidence within arts organisations than ever before.

"The big issue is the lack of resources and unless any changes are accompanied by a commitment to a significant increase in investment in the arts it's difficult to see how there would be any benefit.

She said she did not support greater government involvement.

"The arts are about risk, imagination, innovation, and those don't sit very well with bureaucracy and civil servants."

Mr Morgan said abolition could involve primary legislation at Westminster in some cases.