The Advisory Council is appointed by the Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs for two years at a time. The Minister appoints the chairman of the Advisory Council without nomination, while the main stakeholders nominate other members of the Council. ISAC sets the Council's rules of procedure, which include provisions for the competence of the Council's members, impartiality and confidentiality. Work within the Council is unpaid.
The purpose of the Advisory Council is to ensure that the ISAC meets the requirements of laws, regulations and international standards on the involvement of key stakeholders in the accreditation activities, and to harmonise the understanding and interpretation of the requirements with which conformity is assessed.
The Advisory Council also plays a key role in increasing the contacts and consultations between stakeholders and ISAC. It has an advisory function for ISAC’s general activities, strategy and development, and provides professional advice to ISAC and the Ministry on issues of accreditation.
The Advisory Council does not influence decisions on individual accreditations.
The roles of the Advisory Council include:
Advise the Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs, other ministries and institutions on accreditation activities in the country.
Make recommendations for the strategic planning of ISAC's activities when appropriate, with special regard to the views of stakeholders.
Be a liaison between stakeholders and ISAC in the country to ensure good cooperation and transparency in information in order to build trust in the accreditation activity and that it best serves the needs of Icelandic society.
Discuss and make proposals to ISAC on new accreditation areas when appropriate, advise on the best way to cooperate with stakeholders, and provide ISAC with an opinion on which services should be offered or whether to stop offering certain accreditation services.
Advise ISAC on issues directly related to ISAC's activities, such as issues related to impartiality and public opinion.
Participate in the promotion of accreditation activities. The main focus will be on informing public bodies and private market actors how accreditation can be used, e.g. for use in official supervision by various public authorities and when purchasing services, within the health system and in business in general, e.g. in connection with internal and external trade, etc.
Provide commentary on ISAC's requirements documents and address legislation and regulations related to accreditation.
Provide feedback on ISAC's risk and impartiality analyses of its activities.
Seek cooperation with committees and councils that deal with issues related to accreditation with the aim that the philosophy of accreditation will be taken into consideration.
Name
Nominated by:
Anna Margrét Halldórsdóttir
Ministry of Health
Jóhann Pétur Pétursson
The Administration of Occupational Safety and Health
Ágúst Þór Jónsson
Appointed chairman without nomination
Árni H. Kristinsson
The interest group of accredited bodies within the SVTH
