Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome Second Stage of this Bill. I pay tribute to Senator Ardagh, Senator Buttimer and all those in the cross-party Oireachtas group on cancer. Today's Bill is about the right to be forgotten, specifically with regard to those who have endured a cancer diagnosis and treatment and have come through the other side. This Bill is about dragging our financial providers into an up-to-date situation.

The medical treatment and care around cancer has gone through incredible improvements in this country and across Europe and the developed world over many years. Cancer is no longer the sure death sentence that it used to be. It is vital that people do not continue to suffer a penalty in their working lives, their financial lives or, indeed, their family lives because they have had that experience in the past. The Labour Party is very supportive of this Bill. We talk about cancer survivors but a good friend of mine who went through cancer a number of years ago used to use the phrase "cancer thrivers". Ultimately, so many people go on to live even fuller lives into the future after having that diagnosis and protracted treatment. They are grateful for every day they have now because of that awful experience in the past. This Bill is part and parcel of allowing people to be cancer thrivers as opposed to just merely survivors.

I want to touch on the amendment that has been put down. It is disappointing to see this conservative reflex with regard to the fear of unknown consequences of this Bill. I would say to the Government to read what it says on the tin. This Bill is about those who have had cancer, not any other life limiting or major illness, although there are plenty of those. Those people also get a very raw deal when they try to purchase a house or access other financial products but we are specifically talking about those who have had cancer in the past and are five years on. It is important that we call that out. This is a very narrowly defined Bill in that regard and should be recognised as such. I too would be very disappointed if there were any delays to this Bill because it merely brings financial providers up to date with the wonderful medical advances there have been in this country with regard to cancer care.

I also pay tribute to the Irish Cancer Society. I note that Senator Ardagh and the many other Senators and Deputies who have been involved in this process worked with that society. It has been pushing for this legislation. I pay tribute to its work because much of that work, particularly in recent years, has been not just about the medical impact of a cancer diagnosis but the impact on people's working lives and their finances. It is about the totality of their lives because for most people who go through a cancer diagnosis, it is not something that is resolved within a few weeks. It can drag on for a long period of time. The Irish Cancer Society has also spoken about the need to deal with people's working lives and sick pay. Our illness benefit system does not deal well with those who have cancer because if someone goes back to work after a period of being out and then has to go out again, those two periods are counted as one. People then end up being caught. I pay tribute to the Irish Cancer Society for all its work in this space.

I appeal to the Government to progress this Bill. It is a very simple and straightforward Bill. It does not refer to any other illnesses. While a conversation needs to take place about all those other illnesses, this is just about cancer and those who are five years on. That is clinically recognised by the medical profession as when a person's cancer experience has, by and large, ended and they are free to get on with their lives cancer free.