DUBLIN (Reuters), Ireland announced Tuesday that it will contribute 2.2 billion euros ($2.5billion) to repair and rebuild homes built with defective blocks in the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger boom a decade ago.

This fund will provide coverage for 7,500 homes in Donegal county, which is where many families that have campaigned for decades for relief have claimed their walls “crumble like Weetabix”.

The homeowners claim that their houses have suffered structural damage from excessive levels of mica in the blocks.

Although the scheme by the government will run for a long time and include a levie on the building sector in order to claw back 80 millions euros each year, its total cost is higher than any annual budget that most government departments have.

It is an important intervention by the exchequer. Although we are not legally responsible, it is about what I consider a moral obligation to the state…because no one else will step in,” Darragh O’Brien, Housing Minister, said at a press conference.

The intervention was extraordinary when compared to the other jurisdictions who have addressed similar issues.

O’Brien stated that the maximum grant of 420,000 euros per homeowner will cover the cost of the program.

Campaigners representing the homes affected by the protests in Dublin have called on the government to pay 100%. On Tuesday, some opposition politicians complained that the plan did not reach enough people.

($1 = 0.8793 euros)