Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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205. To ask the Minister for Finance the number of items in the Finance Bill 2015 or pending from previous years still awaiting European Union approval, such as under state aid regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40279/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Exemption from Stamp Duty (Section 70 Finance (No. 2) Act 2013)

Exemption from Stamp Duty on the transfer of shares of companies listed on the Enterprise Securities Market of the Irish Stock Exchange, remains subject to State Aid approval.  The proposed measure aims to encourage entrepreneurs and growing businesses to use public equity markets as a source of funding for growth and the creation of jobs. Discussions are on-going with the EU Commission.

Relief from stamp duty on agricultural leases (Section 74 Finance Act 2014)

It is proposed that this relief would apply to leases for a period of not less than 6 years and not more than 35 years. The land must be used exclusively for farming carried on by the lessee. The lessee who acquires the lease of the land must be either a farmer with an agricultural qualification or a farmer who spends not less than 50% of his or her normal working time farming on a commercial basis and with a view to the realisation of profits. This relief is subject to a Commencement Order pending State Aid approval by the European Commission.  Responsibility for discussions with the Commission in this regard lie with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Film relief (Section 15 of Finance Bill 2015, as initiated)

An amendment to the film relief scheme was announced in the recent Budget, to increase the cap on the amount of qualifying expenditure to €70 million. As the film relief scheme is a State Aid scheme, the approval of the European Commission is required before the change can be commenced.

Succession Farm Partnerships (Section 17 of Finance Bill 2015, as initiated)

A limited tax relief for Succession Farm Partnerships has been introduced in Budget 2016. This is a succession planning model that encourages older farmers to form partnerships with young trained farmers and to transfer ownership of the farm, within a specified period, to that young trained farmer. As this measure will require the approval of the European Commission, a commencement order has been included in the Finance Bill pending this approval.