Ireland's Department of Finance approves amendments creating a statutory Right to Be Forgotten for cancer survivors in mortgage protection insurance with a five-year remission period and EUR 650,000 cap

Ireland's Government has approved, via a Department of Finance memorandum, a package of amendments to the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 to put a statutory “Right to Be Forgotten” in place for cancer survivors applying for mortgage protection insurance for their principal private residence. The changes would replace the existing voluntary code with a legally enforceable framework and extend key parameters of the protections. Under the approved amendments, the remission period would be reduced from seven years to five years regardless of age at diagnosis, and certain cancer-related medical history would be disregarded for mortgage protection insurance up to EUR 650,000, increased from EUR 500,000. Normal underwriting would be permitted above that threshold, and the threshold would be reviewed every five years using Central Statistics Office residential property price data and stakeholder consultation. The amendments also make technical changes to the Insurance Acts 1936 and 1964 to complete reforms to the Insurance Compensation Fund in line with EU requirements, and the Bill would be retitled the Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026. Ministers indicated the Government intends to progress the legislation swiftly through the Oireachtas, with the Department of Finance engaging industry to support transition from the voluntary code to the statutory framework.