Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, for coming to the House. I thank everyone present, especially our guests in the Gallery: Ms Rachel Morrogh from the Irish Cancer Society; Ms Suzanne Dowd from the Irish Cancer Society; and Mr. Sam Russell, who is a cancer survivor. These guests are most welcome. I thank them for everything they have done in preparing, advocating and championing this legislation. Cancer survivors owe them a huge debt.

It is a great honour for me to be asked to chair the cross-party committee on cancer in the Oireachtas. This Bill is the culmination of so much work on a cross-party basis. Without a doubt, working on a cross-party basis is exactly how we should be working daily in the Oireachtas to address problems faced by society. The cross-party group has worked really well and there is so much consensus. I thank all its members for supporting the Bill. I also thank Mr. Adrian O'Higgins, barrister, for helping and liaising with the group to draft the Bill. His time is very much appreciated.

In a nutshell, the Bill effectively means those who have fought cancer and have been in remission for many years will not be disadvantaged or discriminated against when seeking insurance. This is a simple but important step that helps cancer survivors to get on with their lives. Those who are cancer-free for five or more years will not be obliged to disclose or declare they previously suffered from cancer. This is especially pertinent for those who had cancer as a child, teenager or young adult. I hope the House will agree the legislation is long overdue. It is not something we are leading on in Ireland; this kind of legislation has already been enacted in many countries in the EU, including France. It represents an important and valuable support that we can offer to cancer survivors.

It is unlikely that there is one person in this Chamber who has not been touched by cancer in the cruel and horrible way we know it touches people. The Central Bank (Amendment) Bill seeks to end the discrimination that cancer survivors face when trying to access financial services. Research from the Irish Cancer Society has shown that nearly a quarter of those affected by cancer are not even able to get a quote for a financial product. When people enter remission after life-changing diagnoses and treatment, they have a difficult road ahead, and all they want to do is get back to the normalities of life. The normality of life is such a beautiful thing when in remission, and the mundane is beautiful. A young person in these circumstances just wants to get on with it and perhaps start a family. Starting a family involves buying a home, and when you want to buy a home you have to access financial products, particularly life assurance. When you have a cancer diagnosis, this is made a lot more difficult.

Older people trying to plan for retirement also need to access life assurance products for themselves and their families. The current arrangements are very difficult for them. Ultimately, they are discriminated against on the back of having had a cancer diagnosis and having fought and survived cancer. It is unfair that the financial system works against cancer patients in this way as they have already suffered enough owing to their illness.

The Bill will seek to change existing legislation to ensure no individual will have to declare a cancer diagnosis five years after active treatment. It will ensure that an institution offering mortgage credit, health insurance, travel insurance or any financial product will not be able to discriminate against a cancer survivor. At the very least, this is the common decency the financial system should show towards cancer survivors.

I am introducing this Bill alongside my colleague Senator Buttimer. Senator Gavan is supporting it on behalf of Sinn Féin. It involves a cross-party group that involves Members from the Green Party, the Labour Party, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit. I hope we can continue to work in a non-partisan manner to proceed with this Bill to the benefit of cancer survivors across the country.

It is important to hear the voices of cancer survivors who describe the penalties they suffer owing to a past diagnosis when seeking financial products. Let me summarise and quote some of the feedback from a survey conducted by the Irish Cancer Society:

Many of the people interviewed explained they faced a lack of options when attempting to access loans and/or insurance, which meant that they struggled to find a provider who would listen to them or approve their request. Many interviewees mentioned that once they were able to access financial products or services that they were met with penalties such as higher premiums and interest rates ... This often means their journeys towards accessing financial products ... ends before it even begins.

"Once you mention you've had cancer, the shutters come down."

"I didn't get to speak to someone properly, it was just a 'no sorry.'"

"I didn't even bother asking for a loan."

"I still don't have life cover, even though my scan was clear last time."

"It was just the cost of it for my premium. It's not fair. Anyone with a heart condition traveling on an airplane is a bigger risk than someone with cancer."

Ultimately, people are left demoralised. The process and experience of applying for financial products or services has taken an emotional toll on so many of the interviewees. One stated, "Feel low. Demoralised ... like I caused my illness ... 20 questions and hoops to jump through left me deflated." Another stated, "Very long process, very stressful, require too much information on cancer diagnosis, diagnosis creates a lot of barriers, even though am in remission."

I am aware that the Minister of State has made clear his support for this Bill. I really hope it will pass today without amendment. I really hope that everyone in this House sees its importance and accepts it as it is. There may be small flaws in it that can be corrected on Committee Stage but allowing it to proceed to that Stage will be huge for survivors. They are watching what we are doing today. I hope all Members of the House will support the Bill today.