JULIA INTERVENES TO HELP LOCAL STUDENT GET GRANT IN FINANCE DEBACLE

5.00.00pm GMT Mon 23rd Nov 2009

MP Julia Goldsworthy has had to intervene to help a student who is still waiting for his grant. Wasyl McNamee, from Camborne, was the first member of his family to go to university - but fears he may have to drop out because of delays in receiving his student grant.

The 19-year old was told in September that he would receive full grant of around £1,200, but so far has not been given a penny. He has been surviving on his student loan, but fears this may soon run out - forcing him to drop out of his course in Politics and International Relations at Portsmouth University.

He said: "I can afford this month's rent, but next month I am simply going to have to come home if my grant doesn't arrive. Everybody else has had it but mine didn't come through. I couldn't get through to anybody on the phone; all you get is a machine."

Mr McNamee's father Sean contacted Julia Goldsworthy to see if she could help. Julia is now pressing Student Finance to process Wasyl's grant as a matter of urgency. She said Wasyl was one of a number of local students who had problems accessing their grant from Student Finance - the new government agency set up to deliver student grants. It is the first time the system has been taken out of the control of the local authority.

Julia said: "Ministers keep assuring us that these problems are being dealt with, but students keep coming to me because their money isn't coming through. The government needs to come clean on the scale of the problems and promise to process anyone who is waiting for their money as a matter of urgency.

"It's not acceptable for anyone to be forced to give up their studies because they haven't received their grant."