56A.—(1) The committee established as a committee of Forfás by resolution of the Board of Forfás pursuant to section 10 (amended by section 46 of the Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) Act 1998) of the Act of 1993 and known as the Irish National Accreditation Board shall on the coming into operation of this section—

(a) become and be a committee of the Authority under this section, and

(b) be known as the Irish National Accreditation Board (in this Act referred to as the "Accreditation Board").

(2) The Accreditation Board is the single national accreditation body for the purposes of the Accreditation Regulation.

(3) The Accreditation Board shall, on behalf of the Authority, perform the functions delegated to the Board under section 34(2A) (inserted by section 30(b) of the Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Act 2014).

(4) The Accreditation Board shall have all powers necessary or expedient for the performance of its functions.

(5) The Accreditation Board shall be independent in the performance of its functions.

(6) The Authority shall designate a member of its staff (in this Act referred to as the "Manager of the Accreditation Board") to carry on and manage, and control generally the administration of the Accreditation Board.

(7) Subject to subsection (8), the Accreditation Board may perform any one or more of its functions through or by—

(a) any member of the staff of the Authority designated for that purpose by the Authority, or

(b) the Manager of the Accreditation Board.

(8) The Manager of the Accreditation Board may enter into contracts referred to in section 47(1)(e) (inserted by section 33(b) of the Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Act 2014) on behalf of the Authority.

(9) The Accreditation Board shall furnish the Authority with such information regarding the performance of the functions of the Board as the Authority may from time to time request.

(10) Subject to subsection (11), the members of the Accreditation Board shall be appointed by the Authority and the Authority shall, in making such appointments, take into account the expertise required by the Board to enable the Board to carry out its functions.

(11) A person who is a member of the Accreditation Board immediately before the coming into operation of this section shall continue in office as such a member unless he or she dies, resigns or is disqualified from office or otherwise ceases to hold office and Schedule 6A (inserted by section 36 of the Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Act 2014) shall apply to such a person on the coming into operation of this section.

(12) Schedule 6A (inserted by section 36 of the Industrial Development (Forfás Dissolution) Act 2014) shall apply to the Accreditation Board.

(13) A reference in any enactment to—

(a) the National Accreditation Board,

(b) the National Accreditation Board as a committee of Forfás,

(c) the Irish National Accreditation Board, or

(d) the Irish National Accreditation Board as a committee of Forfás,

shall be taken to be a reference to the Accreditation Board as a committee of the Authority referred to in subsection (1).

(14) In this section "enactment" has the same meaning as it has in the Interpretation Act 2005.]