Victor Boyhan: Backs 'Right to Be Forgotten' for Cancer Survivors

Thank you Minister and you're very welcome to the House and I'd like to welcome your officials to the House too. This is a very significant piece of legislation and as you have rightly done in your introduction here today, you've acknowledged a very significant contribution of the former Senator, Deputy and now Minister Ardagh and her unwavering commitment, her support, her determination to see this across the line and even indeed to get into the programme for government and I want to acknowledge her dedication and immense advocacy to see this legislation through so it just shows with determination but it also helps when you're in government of course to get the hearing but it deserves the proper hearing, it deserves the full support and I think that's very important. I think it's also important that you recognise the very extensive engagement with the Parliamentary Council, the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman, the insurance sector generally, the Irish Society of the Medical Oncologists, a very significant group of people and professionals, the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society. I think that's important too, so it has the broad support but also all of these particular groupings and professionals bring a sense of expertise and that's reassuring to have that in any legislation when you're going through so I want to acknowledge that and particularly Catherine Ardagh and you Minister that's had your own personal experiences and of course are determined to see this through and rightly so. I want to thank the government for pursuing this very significant piece of legislation. This bill seeks to introduce provisions prohibiting the financial services providers from discriminating against cancer survivors in the provision of financial services but central too to this legislation is that it enshrines the right to be forgotten for cancer survivors thereby ensuring that they are not unjustly penalised due to their medical history once they have reached a certain post-treatment milestone. Cancer survivorship in Ireland has significantly improved over the last number of decades and that's to be encouraged and its prospects are getting better and better and better in terms of the care for people with cancer. Advancements of course in medical treatments and the restructuring of the cancer care have resulted of course also in increased survival rates. The bill introduces a new section 69 I think this is important because 69 prohibits the financial service providers from engaging in discriminatory practices based on cancer diagnosis. The bill also identifies the survivor of cancer based on age at diagnosis and five-year period without treatment and I think that's also significant and worthy of acknowledgement. This bill is similar to who has been enacted with juries across other jurisdictions and I looked at a number of jurisdictions today specifically these ones France, Belgium and the Netherlands and so we have a very successful model working there and I have no doubt your department officials looked at best practice in other jurisdictions and I think that's important but it has worked and has been very very positive and the feedback in relation to France, Belgium and Netherlands as I said earlier is significant and I think it's always good to see a similar operation functioning in jurisdictions particularly within the Union. It is important that people are not locked out of the system due to circumstances that are beyond their control and I think that's something we've always got to be mindful of unintended consequences of any legislation. I suppose in summary I thought I was most taken by the Incorporated Law Society's own digester summary of this bill and it I think was important and worth reading the contribution by the Law Society. They tend to be very analytical about their assessment and they keep it very simple and I think that's always a good thing. So the key elements and amendments to this bill of course will be the reduction of the remission period from seven years to five years regardless of age at diagnosis in line with the international medical standards for the end of cancer surveillance to apply a statutory disregard of certain cancer related medical history to mortgage protection insurance cover up to six hundred and fifty thousand and increase from five hundred thousand to reflect the current housing market. All normal underwriting above the threshold ensuring the department says that the measure remains proportionate, sustainable and compliant with the EU insurance law and the industry's governance and practices. Provide for the review of the threshold is also being provided in this legislation for every five years. So Minister I support this very important legislation I support you and commend you for driving this legislation through. At the end of the day this bill is of course about fairness and it's about dignity and you will have my full support and I've no doubt you will have the full support of the Sianidh independent members in Sianidh Eireann. Thank you.