Mortgage protection insurance law ends cancer diagnosis barrier

Ireland’s new ‘Right to be Forgotten’ law comes into force

The legislation, known as the 'Right to be Forgotten', prevents insurers from using an eligible applicant’s previous cancer diagnosis to refuse cover.

Applicants must have completed active treatment and remained in remission for five years to qualify.

The change aims to remove a long-standing obstacle for survivors hoping to buy a home.

Some have previously struggled to obtain mortgage protection insurance or faced higher premiums, even years after their treatment ended and they were declared cancer-free.

The new protections apply to mortgage insurance for family homes valued at up to €650,000.

Irish Cancer Society push has paid off

The legislation follows years of pressure from the Irish Cancer Society and other campaigners, who argued that a cancer diagnosis should no longer affect insurance applications once a person has been in remission for a specified period.

Fianna Fáil TD Catherine Ardagh first put forward the proposal as a Private Members’ Bill. It was not originally introduced as a government initiative.

Before the new law came into effect, insurers operated under a voluntary code introduced in December 2023. 

Under that agreement, a previous cancer diagnosis could be disregarded after seven years, with a shorter five-year period for people diagnosed before turning 18, according to RTÉ.

The legislation now sets a five-year remission period for eligible applicants, regardless of how old they were when diagnosed.

'An important and welcome milestone'

Moyagh Murdock, chief executive of Insurance Ireland, said the legislation marked a significant step forward for people who have recovered from cancer.

She described it as “an important and welcome milestone for cancer survivors across Ireland”, adding that a previous diagnosis should not continue to make it harder for people to get on with their lives after treatment.

Murdock also noted that insurers had begun addressing the issue before the legislation was introduced.