Last Updated on March 20, 2026
Government Commits to Five-Year Rule for Cancer Survivors
Today is Daffodil Day, the Irish Cancer Society’s annual fundraising day, and the Government has this morning confirmed plans to reduce the waiting period for cancer survivors applying for mortgage protection insurance from seven years to five. Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister of State Robert Troy made the announcement following engagement with the Irish Cancer Society, with legislation expected to go before Cabinet in the coming weeks and pass through the Oireachtas before the summer recess.
What the right to be forgotten means
The right to be forgotten is the principle that a past cancer diagnosis should not follow a person indefinitely when they apply for financial products. Once a defined period has passed since the end of treatment, and there has been no recurrence, insurers are required to disregard that diagnosis. Since December 2023, a voluntary code from Insurance Ireland has already been in place, signed up to by insurers covering around 95% of the life assurance market. Under that code, the period is currently seven years from the end of treatment for adults, or five years for those diagnosed under the age of 18. The legislation being brought forward will make this a legal right, reduce the adult period to five years, and raise the mortgage protection threshold from €500,000 to €650,000 in line with current property prices.
Why this matters
Research from the Irish Cancer Society found that three in five people affected by cancer found it difficult to access financial products such as life insurance and mortgage and income protection insurance, with refusal and unfair treatment among the most commonly reported difficulties. For many reading this, the barrier will already be familiar. Once the legislation passes, the waiting period will be shorter.
What to know in practice
The five-year period runs from the end of treatment, not from diagnosis. If there has been a recurrence, the clock restarts. You will still need to disclose other relevant medical conditions. The current code and the forthcoming legislation apply specifically to mortgage protection insurance; standalone life insurance and other products such as critical illness cover may involve more detailed underwriting and are not covered in the same way. If you are unsure how any of this applies to your situation, a broker with experience in medical underwriting will be the most useful person to speak to. Once passed, the legislation will have teeth, financial providers could face fines or imprisonment if found to have discriminated against a person on health grounds in accessing insurance products.
Where things stand
The Irish Cancer Society has been campaigning on this since 2021, and has consistently argued for a five-year threshold in line with practice in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Portugal. That position has now been accepted by Government. The bill has already passed Second Stage in the Dáil and Minister Troy indicated this morning that the amending legislation is expected to be introduced shortly after Easter. At Widow.ie we welcome this and hope to see it pass through the Oireachtas as quickly as is practical. We will update here when it does.
Image by Erika Varga from Pixabay
