Sinn Féin TD for Meath West Johnny Guirke was part of a cross party group that moved the Right to be forgotten bill through the Dil this week
The bill will mean that a person who has survived cancer for five years does not have to declare the fact they had the disease when applying for finance, such as mortgages and loans, something they had to do until now.
He told Meath Live, ‘ I was proud to be part of the cross party group that brought this bill forward this week, as it acts on behalf of cancer survivors who are denied access to financial products such as life Insurance or Mortgage protections.
‘The bill follows in the footsteps of many European countries who already adopt the position of ensuring no cancer survivor is penalised by financial products for surviving cancer.
‘We have seen first-hand that survivors are punished for the previous diagnosis of cancer, with some being paying extortionate rates for their premiums but in a lot of cases, they are denied access to this service.
‘This bill will ensure that survivors will get fair treatment by Financial services and that the bill should also receive backing by all parties as this is a cross party bill.
‘I am very proud of my own association with the Irish Cancer Society as Chairman of the Moylagh JFK 50 Mile Challenge committee and I’m delighted they have supported this bill that was introduced this week.’
The bill, which will seek to revise current legislation, outlines that a person seeking access to financial services will no longer have to declare a cancer diagnosis five years after finishing active treatment.
