Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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134. To ask the Minister for Finance if persons can qualify for stamp duty exemption on transfers of land to young farmers where the persons concerned have a bachelor of agricultural science degree majoring in engineering technology, which is a full-time Level 8 honours programme from University College Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5422/16]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that a stamp duty exemption is available in respect of the transfer of agricultural land to young farmers where certain conditions are met. The conditions for the relief are set out in section 81AA of the Stamp Duties Consolidation Act 1999 and one of these conditions is that a qualifying young trained farmer must hold one of the relevant educational qualifications listed in Schedule 2B to the Act. This Schedule is updated as new qualifications are approved by Teagasc. The Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree specialising in Engineering Technology awarded by University College Dublin is not currently included in the Schedule.   

The normal procedure for a qualification to be included on the Schedule 2B list is for Teagasc, at the request of the educational institution that awards the qualification, to evaluate a course and, where it considers the course to be suitable, to recommend it to the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. This department then asks my department to include the qualification on the Schedule 2B list by way of a provision in the next available Finance Bill.

Alternatively, the stamp duty exemption is available where Teagasc certifies that a particular educational qualification corresponds to a qualification included on the Schedule 2B list and that the qualification is deemed by the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland to be at least at a level equivalent to that of the particular Schedule 2B qualification.