Living a homosexual lifestyle no longer incurs discrimination from life insurance providers, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.

The industry body remarked that consumers may view being gay as a factor that could affect their application for life insurance, but that this is no longer the case.

"It's possible that there has been a perception that applications were not treated in the same way in the past, but now no longer do people have to disclose.what their sexuality is," said a spokesperson for the organisation.

In October 2005, a new Statement of Best Practice on HIV and Insurance was introduced by the industry, which included guidelines on questions it is "reasonable" to ask to assess an applicant's likelihood of contracting HIV - these questions should not relate to sexuality, the document advised.

"There is government legislation now which means that you don't have to disclose whether you're in a civil partnership, so there can be no way that the insurance company knows what your sexuality is," the industry spokesperson advised.

Meanwhile, Legal & General recently advised people that full disclosure is essential when applying for critical illness cover.

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