Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris has confirmed the order to commence the Right to be Forgotten legislation has been signed.
The legislation places important consumer protections on a statutory footing for the first time and will ensure cancer survivors are not unfairly penalised.
The law means that those who have beaten cancer will be able to get access to mortgage protection insurance five years after they complete active cancer treatment.
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the Tánaiste confirmed he had signed the order to commence the Right to be Forgotten legislation.
‘For too long, people who came through cancer still met barriers years later when they went to buy a home or put security in place for their families,’ he explained. ‘That is now over.
‘For the first time in Irish law, insurers must disregard cancer-related medical history when assessing an application for mortgage protection insurance, once a person is five years clear of active treatment and in remission. It replaces a voluntary code with clear, enforceable rights, and covers mortgage protection up to €650,000.’
The Fine Gael politician extended thanks to those who campaigned for the legislation, as well as the Irish Cancer Society and Minister of State Robert Troy and Minister Catherine Ardagh.
‘An important achievement and a real and lasting difference in people’s lives,’ he concluded.
Last week, Irish Cancer Society CEO Nikki Gallagher welcomed the news.
The cancer charity launched their campaign for the law in 2021 due to the financial discrimination experienced by survivors.
Ms Gallagher said: ‘The upheaval and devastation of a cancer diagnosis was compounded years later when survivors faced endless paper trails and hiked insurance premiums to access something as basic as mortgage protection insurance — without which they cannot access a mortgage.
‘This is a momentous day, and collectively, we have made a real and lasting difference in the lives of so many cancer survivors.
