The Government has indicated more people could get the €1,000 Covid bonus as a panel will be set up to assess if a group should be added to the list.
It comes as the Government has faced a backlash for excluding GPs, family carers and other workers who have dealt with Covid patients.
Ministers have moved to defend the payment which will be given to frontline healthcare workers employed by the HSE, some Defence Force members, ambulance staff and relevant staff in the private sector nursing homes and hospices.
Tanáiste Leo Varadkar has said there will be further information on those who are covered by the criteria.
He confirmed that agency workers in public hospitals that were working for the HSE and were in contact with Covid patients will also receive the payment.
He told the Dáil that a panel will assess if a group of people should be added to the list.
He said: “We don’t have the membership of the terms of reference of the panel finalised yet but that will be done in the near future.
“When will the payment be made? It’s our objective to have it paid in February or March.
“There is an issue around legislation, it does require primary legislation.”
Speaking on RTÉ, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the list is "more or less" finalised, but a panel will be established because it is "complex" in terms of categories of workers.
He said: "There will be a panel created to try and look at categories there may be issues around," adding that there is some work to do yet on some areas.
When asked about workers like nurses and receptionists in GP practices being included in this scheme, Mr Martin said there are workers in categories that will not be ruled out, and they are going to look at certain categories.
He said: "People who were in that frontline - engaging with the public and patients coming forward in the medical and health arena – there was clearly a higher risk.
"They have to be the priority."
Sinn Fein have criticised the Government for excluding family carers from the pandemic frontline bonus of €1,000 for frontline healthcare workers.
The party’s spokeswoman for carers, Pauline Tully TD has said carers are the forgotten frontline workers.
She said: “Practically all supports were withdrawn and carers were left isolated.
“They are the forgotten frontline who protect our health service on an ongoing basis by providing care to very ill loved ones, saving the state billions every year.
“They were not considered for PPE provision or vaccine prioritisation.
“They cannot be forgotten again. Minister McGrath must do the right thing and extend this payment to carers.”
