Government legislation to increase the number of Ministers of State from 20 to 23 has been passed by the Dáil by 92 votes in favour and 72 against.
The bill includes the creation of three super junior minister roles.
It now goes to the Seanad, where it is set to be debated tomorrow morning.
The bill provides for an increase in junior ministers from a record level of 20 to a new record of 23, up from 15 a decade ago.
The figure includes 10 positions for Fianna Fáil, eight for Fine Gael, and five for the Regional Independents.
Ministers of state will receive a €113,679 TD salary, a €45,846 additional payment, and a travel and accommodation allowance, ranging from €6,000 to €32,000.
The three super junior ministers will be given a €13,145 payment.
Speaking at the start of the debate on the bill, Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers outlined the reasons for the increase in the number of ministers.
He told the Dáil that these include the "increased volume of Government priorities" and said that "many of the new challenges we face are cross-cutting and require cross-department responses".
These priorities include housing, education, business needs, policing, rural communities and supporting the agricultural sector, Mr Chambers added.
However, his position was criticised by a number of Opposition parties, including Sinn Féin. One of its members, Deputy Pa Daly, is taking a legal case in relation to the super junior positions.
The party's Spokesperson on Public Expenditure and Reform Mairéad Farrell said the Government move is about "more deals, more Mercs and more perks".
She criticised a decision by Dáil officials to rule out "all amendments" to the bill "bar one", saying the plan for the passage of the legislation is "riding rough shod" over genuine debate.
"You are trying to get this through the Dáil" before any ruling from the courts, Ms Farrell said, adding: "I hope people looking in on the Dáil today are seeing it for what it is".
"What's to stop this happening again in 2029?", she asked, saying a similar bill could be introduced at the formation of the next government to raise the number of junior ministers from 23 to 30 including "the number of super juniors increasing to 10".
Her comments were supported by Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Finance Pearse Doherty.
This is "the first piece of legislation Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael thought to bring forward" and "this sums up the priority" of the Government, he said.
Mr Doherty described the increase in junior and super junior ministers as "a grubby deal" to see "how many snouts we can get in the trough".
It is "wrong to do that when working families are trying to get by," Mr Doherty added.
