Fianna Fáil Senator and chair of the cross-party committee on cancer services, Catherine Ardagh, has today welcomed the publication of the Code of Practice for cancer survivors seeking mortgage protection insurance by Insurance Ireland.
The new code provides for cancer survivors’ ‘Right to be Forgotten’, meaning insurers will disregard a cancer diagnosis where treatment ended more than 7 years prior to their application or more than 5 years if the applicant was under 18 at the time treatment ceased.
Last year Senator Catherine Ardagh brought forward the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2022 on this subject. The bill aimed to ensure that cancer survivors are not denied access to financial products like mortgage protection and insurance due to their medical history.
Senator Ardagh said, "At the moment, 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.
“It’s completely unacceptable that the financial system would punish former cancer patients in this way when they have already suffered enough in terms of their illness and are now trying to move on with their lives having come out the other side.
“Today’s announcement advances the issue of access to mortgage protection insurance for those survivors. I understand that the relevant firms have up to six months to implement the code, meaning it should be operational before the end of the year.
"I want to acknowledge the very positive role the Irish Cancer Society has played in consistently raising this issue and my party colleague Minister Michael McGrath for all the time and effort he has put into this important matter and getting it to this point with the insurance industry.”
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