JULIA URGES GOVERNMENT TO "COME CLEAN" OVER STUDENT PAYMENTS FIASCO

4.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 2nd Oct 2009

MP Julia Goldsworthy has slammed the Government after local students were left without any grants or loans as they embarked on their university career. Around 5% of this year's student intake have not received their money on time.

Students at Cornwall University in Tremough are expecting their delayed student loans and maintenance grants on Monday (October 5th) - yet many will face further delays as problems with payments continue. Julia has written to the Higher Education Minister demanding a full explanation of how the delays arose. She is also pressing Ministers to make clear what measures have been put into place to ensure these problems are not repeated.

Julia said: "With the current economic situation, it has been blindingly obvious for a long time that many more young people than usual would be seeking a higher education place, rather that attempting to find work in a very difficult jobs market.

"Yet HEFCE and the Student Loans Company seem to have been taken by surprise, and as a result many thousands of low income students have been left in limbo for weeks, wondering when the loans and support they are entitled to will turn up. The Government needs to come clean on how this happened, and ensure that such a problem is never allowed to happen again."

Julia is asking any students who are affected to contact her if they need further help.

She said: "Any students who are experiencing problems with this issue or have been affected by the delays can get in touch with me by email at info@juliagoldsworthy.org, and will ensure I do everything I can to speed things up."