MSPs yesterday threatened to use their powers of compulsion against Scottish Enterprise, as they demanded the men in charge of the troubled jobs quango appear before them next week.

In a sign of growing impatience with the economic development agency, Holyrood's enterprise committee rebuffed a request from Jack Perry, its chief executive, to push back the appearance until next month.

Alex Neil, committee convener, said he hoped it would not be necessary to force the agency to co-operate, but hinted darkly: "We do have powers to demand that people and papers come before the committee."

Mr Perry, Sir John Ward, his chairman, and Ian Carmichael, his finance director, had been due to appear on April 25 to explain why they had a GBP30m overspend on their GBP500m budget last year.

The problem has alarmed MSPs who fear jobs and training in their constituencies could now be cut to balance the books.

After agreeing to April 25, the agency then asked for a delay until May 2, after they have finalised their budget for 2006-07 with Nicol Stephen, the enterprise minister.

But the committee rejected the plea, insisting on April 25 as MSPs chose the date precisely because it was before the meeting with Mr Stephen, which they hope to inf luence.

Karen Gillon, Labour MSP for Clydesdale, said: "We have a duty to hold Scottish Enterprise to account. [I want to know] what happened, who knew about it, and what did they do about it. It's not rocket science."

The committee also demanded a report from the agency by the end of the week explaining its financial state.