Young adults in Northern Ireland who had childhood cancers are being denied mortgages in their 30s, new research has revealed.
It comes amid a warning that people in the north who have been cured of cancer still face “life-long financial discrimination”.
Around 100,000 cancer survivors in Northern Ireland are faced with discrimination which affects their ability to secure mortgages, travel insurance and life insurance – even when cancer-free for more than five years.
Cancer charities and campaigners are calling for legislation in Northern Ireland to offer cancer survivors protection from having to declare their cancer diagnosis after a specified period.
This is known as ‘The Right to be Forgotten’ and exists in other parts of Europe.
Professor Mark Lawler, associate pro-vice-chancellor and Professor of Digital Health at Queen’s University Belfast, has revealed cancer survivors are frequently denied mortgages.
He said this comes despite medical evidence showing they are at no greater risk than the general population after five years of being cancer-free.
In addition to being denied purchasing a dream home, cancer survivors can also face huge travel insurance premium hikes, meaning they either can not afford to travel insured, or take the decision to travel uninsured.
In many European countries, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands, legal protections ensure cancer survivors are not required to declare their cancer diagnosis to insurance companies after a specified period.
In the Republic, insurance companies have introduced a self-regulatory code of conduct.
Just last week, the Republic committed to introduce legislation in the new draft ‘Programme for Government’, highlighting Northern Ireland’s position as one of the few regions in Western Europe without these protections.
Professor Lawlor recently presented his findings on ‘The Right to be Forgotten: Ending Financial Discrimination for Cancer Survivors in Northern Ireland’ to MLAs at Stormont.
He said cancer survivors are “being unfairly penalised by the financial services industry”.
“In Northern Ireland, we’re seeing young adults who had childhood cancers being denied mortgages in their 30s,” he said.
“This is about allowing people to move forward with their lives.
“It is time for Northern Ireland to join our European neighbours in protecting cancer survivors from this ongoing discrimination.
“I implore our politicians to do the right thing and end this outrageous discrimination against the 100,000 cancer survivors in Northern Ireland.”
Cancer survivors and campaigners highlighted that more young people are being diagnosed with cancer and achieving remission thanks to advances in medical treatments.
With these advances they believe the ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ is essential to ensure their opportunities are not unfairly restricted.
Richard Spratt, chief executive of Cancer Focus NI, said: “Cancer survivors have fought hard enough to overcome their disease – they shouldn’t have to fight financial discrimination too.
“We’re calling on our elected representatives to follow the European example and introduce Right to be Forgotten legislation here.”
Dr Françoise Meunier, founder of the European Initiative to End Discrimination against Cancer Survivors said: “The Right to Be Forgotten is essential for safeguarding key principles of human rights including human dignity, equality, and privacy.
“Governments must ensure that all former cancer patients are granted the right to be forgotten, promoting equality and consumer rights.”
