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Insurance – Right to be Forgotten
On 28 April 2026, the Government approved landmark amendments to the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill 2025 to put a statutory “Right to Be Forgotten” for cancer survivors into Irish law.
The approved amendments will place important consumer protections on a statutory footing for the first time, ensuring that cancer survivors who have completed treatment and have been in remission for five years are not unfairly penalised when applying for mortgage protection insurance in respect of their principal private residence. This legislation will replace a voluntary code (introduced by Insurance Ireland in December 2023) with a statutory right, giving consumers legal certainty and enforceability across the market.
Alongside the “Right to Be Forgotten” measures, the Bill also makes technical amendments to the Insurance Acts 1936 and 1964 to complete reforms to the Insurance Compensation Fund in line with EU requirements. Because of these broader changes, the bill will be renamed the Insurance (Disregard of Certain Medical History and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2026.
The Government will now formally table its amendments to the Bill in the Oireachtas. The amended Bill must complete its remaining stages in the Dáil and then pass through all Seanad stages before being signed into law. The Government has indicated that it intends to progress the Bill swiftly, with a view to enactment before the summer recess.
Press release: Government approves landmark “Right to Be Forgotten” legislation for cancer survivors
Irish merger control
The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) consultation on proposed changes to the Irish merger control notification thresholds closed for feedback on 1 May 2026.
Currently a merger or acquisition is notifiable to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) where the following thresholds are met in the most recent financial year of each undertaking involved:
- the aggregate turnover in the State of the undertakings involved is no less than €60 million; and
- the turnover in the State of each of two or more of the undertakings involved is no less than €10 million.
The CCPC has requested that the thresholds be increased to an aggregate turnover of €100 million and individual turnover of €15 million. Merger thresholds are relevant to finance transactions with Irish share security.
Press release: Public consultation on the proposal to raise merger thresholds
Consultation paper: Public Consultation on proposed changes to Merger and Acquisitions notifications to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
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