Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025: Second Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-06-24
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Fiona O'Loughlin (FF), Administrative Panel

I thank the Minister of State for being here. I have no doubt that aside from his professional commitment to this, it must have a personal impact on him as well. I thank him for prioritising it. My former Seanad colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, was very much to the forefront in drafting a Private Members' Bill. I would like to thank her for all the work she has done. That is not to take away from the Minister of State, Deputy Troy's absolute commitment. He prioritised this and I thank him. This is something I might not have thought too much about, but around three years ago somebody I know very well asked to meet me. His son had come through cancer and had applied for a mortgage. It was only at the final stage of the mortgage that he had a diagnosis. When he went back with this new health update, having received approval in the first place, himself and his girlfriend could not get the mortgage. Obviously, his parents were very concerned for him but also concerned that he could not get on with his life. Recovering from a cancer diagnosis is difficult enough anyway. It was the first time this really struck a chord with me. I had conversations with the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, at the time because I knew this was something she was thinking about. I was very happy to go back to the said parent. I do not want to mention their names because I have not sought their permission. I felt it would take a lot longer than it did. Very sadly, the young man's cancer came back and he passed away. This is deeply poignant for me. He passed away without knowing that he would have had the chance to have a home and be able to start life afresh.
The Bill that the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, has brought before us now is strengthened and very carefully considered. I thank him for his engagement with all the stakeholders he mentioned. As he said, the legislation is about something that is very simple but so important - it is about fairness and dignity. Thankfully we have so many survivors of cancer now. When you get the good news that you are cancer free, it should be the start of a new chapter and something different. Life should be opening up again, plans can be made and you can rebuild your future and your stability with your loved ones. For many of those who survive, many of the barriers that exist during treatment and diagnosis persist for a long time afterwards. That is fundamentally unfair. Nobody should be left disadvantaged in drawing down a mortgage and buying a house when they have survived cancer. The Bill is seeking to address that unfairness and gives effect to a very strong principle that resonates across everybody. We all know, and I personally know too, the impact that cancer has on families, as indeed does the Minister of State. So many today are living very full lives despite their diagnosis because of the advancements in treatment and care. That is really important to acknowledge. I thank the Minister of State for bringing this Bill before us. We in Fianna Fáil are 100% supportive of it and really glad that this legislation has reached this Stage. I commend the Bill to the House.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-06-24/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-24