Two more counties - Clare and Limerick - are to be added to the Government's defective block redress scheme this week as the €2.2bn projected cost of rebuilding mica-affected homes is set to rise by €500m.
Legislation for the scheme will formally come to Cabinet this week and ministers will be told that the two counties had made submissions to be covered.
It is expected that the inclusion of the two counties will be accompanied by warnings that the previous €2.2bn estimated cost has grown by €500m.
However, sources said that the two things are not linked and the original figure quoted in November was an estimate. The updated figure takes account of the Society of Chartered Surveyors' recommendations of the scheme, as well as the rising cost of materials.
The SCSI report said that the cost of demolishing and rebuilding Mica-affected homes would be around €145-€164 per square foot when based on February 2022 prices.
It is understood that adding Clare and Limerick to Mayo and Donegal could see another 2,000 homes come under the 100% redress scheme. The Clare Pyrite Action Group claims the number of homes affected in Clare stands at more than 1,000, and could be potentially several thousand.
Clare County Council has admitted that up to 620 homes in the county may be impacted by pyrite.
While other counties, including Sligo and Tipperary have sought access to the scheme, it is understood they will not be included in Tuesday's memo to Cabinet.
The legislation underpinning the multi-billion euro redress scheme comes after a lengthy campaign by protesters whose homes are affected by defective blocks.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said last week he wants the legislation “passed urgently” and the level of support being extended to the homeowners is “unprecedented”.
“We've spent an incredible amount of time and effort in improving the existing scheme," he said.
Defective blocks that contain high levels of mica can absorb water and cause cracking to external and internal walls, potentially causing structural failure to dwellings and posing a significant health and safety risk.
Excessive amounts of mica have been detected in the concrete blocks of more than 5,000 homes in Donegal and Mayo, causing the bricks to crumble and putting the structures at risk of collapse.