Have the Tánaiste and his EU Foreign Minister colleagues given consideration to referring Prince Mohammed bin Salman al Saud of Saudi Arabia to the International Criminal Court in The Hague given the appalling murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi and repeated serious crimes committed by the Saudi rulers in Yemen? I remember years ago, when both the Tánaiste and I were in opposition, how we supported the establishment of the International Criminal Court. Is there not a significant case, as the President of Turkey has clearly shown, that the key perpetrators of this premeditated and vicious murder must be brought to justice? Will the Tánaiste take an initiative in that regard?

This was undoubtedly a brutal murder that shocked a lot of people and rightly so. It has also shocked an awful lot of journalists who have a job to do in holding governments to account and speaking truth to power. Like many other countries, we want to understand what happened, who was responsible and who sanctioned it. This is why we have asked for a credible and independent report on what did happen. As we do not yet have that, it is very hard to draw conclusions on that basis but we will work with other EU partners to ensure the truth is uncovered and understood. At that point, we will be able to take appropriate action.