generosity Minister Simon Harris registers to take in family fleeing war-torn Ukraine

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has registered to take in a family fleeing war-torn Ukraine.

Mr Harris said the people of Ireland have been “incredibly generous” in response to the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“I think they want their government to be generous too,” the minister added.

Speaking at the launch of a new academic hub on the Grangegorman Campus of Technological University Dublin, he said people will show generosity to those arriving from Ukraine in different ways including providing accommodation or donations of goods and money.

“I've always thought this is a private matter and I think it should be kept a private matter but for the record a number of days ago, we registered as a family to provide a room in our home, if that's required, like tens of thousands of families across the country have but I don’t intend to comment on it any further,” Mr Harris said.

At the same event, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe refused to say if he would be registering to house a Ukrainian refugee.

“Myself and my family will play our role in making a contribution to the challenges, the huge challenges, that the people of Ukraine are facing. The exact nature of that contribution I do believe is a private matter and I’m going to leave it at that,” Mr Donohoe said.

On Sunday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar revealed he signed up to offer a room in his home to be used to accommodate refugees fleeing Ukraine.

Separately, Mr Harris announced more than 1,000 student beds have been offered up colleges and universities seeking to contribute to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis.

The minister also said Ukrainian students will be able to continue their studies in third level institutions when they arrive in Ireland.

“We're also making arrangements that any Ukrainian student will be treated just like an Irish student in terms of being able to access student support and student grants,” he said.

He said the other “big issue” his department is working on is rolling out English language classes for refugees.