Louth senator works to ensure cancer survivors are not denied access to mortgage protection

Louth Senator Erin McGreehan along with other members of the Cross Party Oireachtas Group on Cancer brought a new Bill before the Seanad yesterday, October 18th.

The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2022 will aim to ensure cancer survivors are not denied access to financial products like mortgage protection and insurance due to their medical history.

A past cancer diagnosis can cause difficulty for some people when it comes to accessing financial products and services, even if they were diagnosed as a child or teen.

Research from the Irish Cancer Society and Core Research has shown that nearly a quarter of people affected by cancer report not being able to even get a quote for a range of financial products and services due to a diagnosis at some point in their lives. Almost half feel that insurers are difficult to deal with.

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This group is over three times more likely to have difficulty purchasing insurance than the general population, and over twice as likely to experience problems in getting a mortgage.

The Bill, which will seek to revise current legislation, which was proposed in the Seanad by the Chair of the Committee Fianna Fails Senator Catherine Ardagh.

It outlines that a person seeking access to financial services will no longer have to declare a cancer diagnosis five years after finishing active treatment. The move is supported by the Irish Cancer Society.

Commenting on the Bill, Senator McGreehan said: “I am delighted that the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2022 legislating for the ‘Right to be Forgotten’ is getting its first reading.

"This is the first piece of legislation published by the Cross Party Group on Cancer and something that so many cancer survivors have been waiting for.

"The Right to be Forgotten legislation is not something new.

"European countries have been leading on this issue ensuring no cancer survivors should be penalised financially when accessing financial products. Its passing would make a positive change in people’s lives, they shouldn’t be penalised for having cancer."

Irish Cancer Society Director of Advocacy Rachel Morrogh said: “No cancer patient should be financially penalised for having survived cancer.

"Imagine being a survivor of a childhood cancer and years later being denied what many consider to be rites of passage to adulthood such as getting a mortgage, getting life insurance and even travelling abroad.

“Survivors feel that they are being punished for their past diagnosis through hefty premiums and, in some cases, denial of cover.

"The Irish Cancer Society has previously called for legislative action rather than self-regulation by the insurance industry, which it considers to be too weak a tool to address the difficulties currently experienced by cancer survivors.

“The publication of today’s Bill is a welcome step in the right direction towards the fairer treatment of people impacted by cancer, and we are optimistic that it will receive the support of all parties as it goes through the Houses, thanks to the Cross Party Group on Cancer which is backing this legislation.”

Passage of the Bill would see Ireland become the latest EU country to ensure the Right to be Forgotten beyond cancer alongside France, Portugal and the Benelux countries.