I move:
That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Central Bank Act 1942 and prohibit financial service providers from discriminating against survivors of cancer from accessing financial services and to provide for related matters.
I wish to share my time with an Teachta Erin McGreehan, le do thoil. The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025, also known as the right to be forgotten Bill, is a really important and long overdue piece of legislation that will make a real difference to the lives of cancer survivors in Ireland. Right now, people who have beaten cancer and have been in remission for years are still being penalised when they apply for financial products such as insurance. This Bill aims to change that. I first introduced this Bill in 2022 in the Seanad, where we had a really important discussion about the ongoing challenges faced by cancer survivors. While our healthcare system has made great progress with survival rates increasing year on year, our financial system has not kept pace. Every year, approximately 44,000 people in Ireland are diagnosed with cancer. Thanks to advances in treatment and early detection, 60% of them will survive beyond five years. These people have already fought one of the hardest battles imaginable, yet many find themselves being refused financial products or being charged excessive premiums simply because they once had cancer. That is neither right nor fair. This is not just a financial issue; it is about fairness, dignity and recognising that cancer survivors should be able to move on with their lives without having the past held against them.
During my time in the Seanad, I was chair of the cross-party group on cancer care, working with colleagues from across the House to advocate for better support for cancer patients and survivors. At a European Parliament level, the right to be forgotten is already being recognised. The European Parliament has called for all EU citizens to have the right to have their past cancer diagnoses disregarded when applying for financial products. Here in Ireland, Insurance Ireland has introduced a voluntary code that asks insurers to ignore cancer diagnoses if a treatment ended more than seven years ago, or five years for those diagnosed as children. That is a step in the right direction but voluntary guidelines are not enough. This protection needs to be enshrined by law. That is why I am bringing forward the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025. The Bill will legally require financial institutions to disregard a person's cancer history when assessing applications for financial products, provided they have been in remission for more than five years. It will ensure cancer survivors are no longer penalised, bringing Ireland in line with best practices across Europe. The Bill is supported by the Irish Cancer Society and other advocacy groups that see at first hand the barriers cancer survivors face long after their treatment ends. They have been calling for this change for years and today we have an opportunity to make it happen. I ask my colleagues across the House to support this Bill. We received similar support in the Seanad during the last term. Let us do the right thing and ensure that a cancer diagnosis does not follow someone for the rest of their life. Let us stand with those who have already been through enough.
