To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of the incident on Monday 17 October when a person being repatriated escaped from a moving Eurostar train near Folkestone, whether the person was being escorted; if so, by whom; and whether during the journey the person was secured in one of the two secure compartments in those trains.

We do not routinely comment on individual cases.

However, passengers who are refused entry into the United Kingdom at St Pancras and who then voluntarily wish to return are not subject to escorts. Under the Immigration Act 1971, Paragraph 8 of Schedule 2, a passenger may be returned to the country or territory from which they embarked. The carrier company is required to facilitate this removal.

Passengers who volunteer to depart the UK are not confined to the secure compartments on the Eurostar. The compartments are normally used by officers to travel and to store protectively marked security items for onboard passenger controls.