Senator Horkan is next.

It is interesting to note that at the start of the Order of Business today almost everybody spoke about the actual Order of Business in the House, which is somewhat unusual. I support the proposal from Senators Ardagh, Nash, Bacik, MacLochlainn and others that we deal only with Committee Stage of the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 today. I heard the Taoiseach earlier this week complaining that this Bill is being delayed in the Seanad. I would like the Leader to clarify that it is not the Seanad that is delaying this Bill. The issue is that the Minister did not bring the Bill back to the House. It is not the case that the Seanad has been stalling the legislation or slowing it down. I think I am right in saying that the Taoiseach said that the Government does not have a majority and, therefore, it is everyone else's fault but the delay is not our fault.

I remember sitting in the Chair in the original Chamber with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed. I had never heard of the word "voisinage" previously and had to go off and find out exactly what it meant. That was a long time ago. It is not fair on the Leader, on his office or on anyone in this House to say that it is the Seanad that delayed this legislation because that is not true.

Senator Horkan's concern is touching.

I will not call the Leader a nice lady but I might call him a nice man some time. A nice man he is-----

I am very sensitive.

If the Leader is very sensitive then I will say that he is a nice man again.

Bí cúramach anois.

When I spoke here on Tuesday on the Order of Business about the Boeing 737 MAX 8, I asked for reflection on what was a very serious situation. I am glad to see that Boeing has now taken the decision to ground the entire fleet for the moment, in response to legitimate concerns. Hopefully, the company can fix the glitch. Boeing has been a very successful company for many years. Hopefully there will be no further loss of life and the company will be able to sort out the problem.

I must address an issue that has come to light in the last few minutes, namely, the news that one former British soldier is to be charged over the Bloody Sunday killings in 1972, when 13 people died on the day and one died subsequently. There are 17 surviving soldiers and two members of the Official IRA who are not being prosecuted because it has been suggested that there is not enough evidence to do so. Given that Lord Saville's report concluded that all 14 victims were killed unlawfully and illegally, it is surprising that only one soldier is to be prosecuted. That said, I welcome the fact that there is sufficient evidence against one person to merit prosecution. Murder is murder and one cannot go around killing people just because one happens to be wearing a uniform. I am surprised that the number to be prosecuted is so low and am sure other Members will comment on that too.

We have been talking about Brexit all week. We did a lot of good work yesterday on the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019. We all hope that the legislation will not have to be implemented. In the context of a no-deal Brexit, it would be smuggler's charter if there was no border between the Republic and the North but there was a border between this island and the rest of the UK. The European Commission spokesperson, on the subject of the no-deal vote in Westminster, said that it was a bit like the crew of the Titanic asking the iceberg to move. It seems that a level of intransigence persists across the water.

I appeal to all right-thinking and intelligent Members of the British Parliament in Westminster to reflect on the future of their country and its relationship with its nearest neighbours, including Ireland, and to move to a position that is less of a lose-lose situation for us all.

I intended to wish everybody a happy St. Patrick's Day, but Senators Lawlor and Ó Domhnaill got in ahead of me. Of course, St. Patrick was Welsh, which people often forget. He came to Ireland and drove out almost all of the snakes.

The Senator is on a roll.

I wish everybody, particularly the Leader, a very happy St. Patrick's Day. I hope they enjoy the break.

I wish to send our thoughts and prayers to the families of those who died in the R116 Coast Guard tragedy on this day two years ago. I refer to the families of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and Captain Mark Duffy and those of Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith, whose bodies are still missing. Tonight, I will join the community in Blacksod and Erris to commemorate their lives.

This morning, the eyes of the world are on Derry. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I pay tribute to the families of those who died on Bloody Sunday, whose long and painful campaign for truth and justice has led us to this day. As I speak, news is breaking that one former British soldier of the 18 suspects will be prosecuted, for one murder and four attempted murders. Our thoughts and solidarity are with the families as they digest the news coming through and the disappointment they may feel about it. Their determination and dignity through the past 47 years has been remarkable and an inspiration to many others who seek justice around the globe.

I am also mindful of the families of those killed in Ballymurphy and the other families who are still struggling for justice. Kay Duddy, the sister of Jackie Duddy, stated on RTÉ radio this morning that this is not about revenge; it is about justice.

It would be appropriate for the Tánaiste to come to the House today and for there to be an opportunity to make statements on the decision to prosecute only one former British soldier. I propose that we amend the Order of Business accordingly.

Regardless of the decision today, it is worth remembering the words of David Cameron, who stated in 2010:

the conclusions of this report are absolutely clear. There is no doubt, there is nothing equivocal, there are no ambiguities. What happened on Bloody Sunday was both unjustified and unjustifiable. It was wrong. Lord Saville concludes that the soldiers of the support company who went into the Bogside did so as a result of an order which should not have been given by their commander. ... He finds that none of the casualties shot by the soldiers of support company was armed with a firearm.

In spite of that, a para commander recently referred to Bloody Sunday as "a job well done".

However, today is about the families. Our thoughts, prayers and solidarity are with those families who have suffered so much for the past 47 years.

As the Taoiseach hands Donald Trump a bowl of shamrock today to mark St. Patrick's Day, we must remember that the Irish in America are immigrants. We have a history of emigration. Many people left this land on coffin ships or because of sectarian strife, unemployment or poverty. There are Irish people all over the world, including, of course, in America. On St. Patrick's Day, we should remember immigrants everywhere. In that regard, we should remind Irish Americans in particular that the Irish went through exactly the same situation that immigrants in America are going through today. They suffered the same type of discrimination and religious bias. In effect, immigrants today travel on the same coffin ships. When the Irish went to America, people tried to put up walls against them. It is hypocritical for any Irish American - Republican or Democrat - to wear the green on St. Patrick's Day and also support Donald Trump and his xenophobic, racist policies. There will be a gathering at the Famine memorial at 3 o'clock on St. Patrick's Day to pay tribute to immigrants everywhere and to restate our historical and moral responsibility, as Irish people standing between what I would call the racist lie of Brexit and the racist liar, Trump, to stand for something more profound and decent than what is happening in the UK and the USA at this time. I encourage as many people as possible to attend and take an Irish stand against racism.

On what has been stated about today's decision in regard to Bloody Sunday, it is a very emotional day for everybody in this country. Obviously, it is extremely emotional for the people of Derry. It should send a reminder to those in Britain and the British Parliament as to why the issue of Brexit and the Border is so important. The hands of various British Governments are all over what happened in this land for many generations. They were big players in the hurt, pain, violence, murder and bloodshed. The current British Parliament needs to understand that it is part of repairing that. Any British politician who accuses anybody over here of playing games or using the Border as a tool does not understand the hurt, pain, loss and suffering that has taken place in this land over the past 40 or 50 years. I ask MPs on any side of the House of Commons to use this day, as the people in Derry reflect, to reflect on what happened in this land over those 40 or 50 years and to understand why Brexit is such an important issue here and that the return of a hard border is unconscionable to all those who call themselves Irish. They should reflect on the people of Derry. It is important to be calm and compassionate regarding today's decision to charge one individual. However, we must remind those in Britain that this is not a game; it is life and death. It is much more important than the games that are being played in the House of Commons at the moment.

I join Senators on both sides of the House in calling on the Leader not to pursue holding all Stages of the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Bill 2017 today. I again call on him not to use this House for the optics of getting the legislation through in a rushed manner. As colleagues pointed out, it is nearly two years since the Bill was last before the Seanad. That is not the fault of anyone on this side of the House or of most Senators on the Leader's side of the House. The Minister and the Government chose to sit on their hands and not reflect on the many amendments tabled to the Bill. I ask the Minister to take Committee Stage today. I apologise; I meant to refer to the Leader. I was a little premature. We will not have to call him "Minister" for another 12 months or so. I ask him to take Committee Stage of the Bill today. As Senators Ardagh and Mac Lochlainn pointed out, those on this side of the House will reluctantly agree to take that Stage of the Bill. The Minister rushing to the telephone yesterday evening to consult the various organisations does not constitute a meaningful engagement. Meaningful engagement involves sitting down around a table with the various concerned bodies to discuss those concerns. If the Minister does so and there is a satisfactory outcome to that engagement, we will agree to take Report and Final Stages in the week that the Seanad returns after the break.

However, we will only do so if it is meaningful consultation.

When the joint committee system was introduced in the Oireachtas, fisheries was not to be included until the Cathaoirleach insisted it was included with the committee on agriculture. I commend him on the work he has done through the years for fisheries and fishermen. I also commend my colleague in the Lower House, Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher, who has continually raised this issue but got blank replies from various Ministers.

I agree with my colleagues on Bloody Sunday. Fourteen people were murdered in 1972 and now a soldier has been charged with the unlawful killing of only two of those people. I agree with Senator Conway-Walsh that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade should come to the House but only if he is available. This is too important an issue to have anyone other than the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Taoiseach deal with it in this House. Assuming they are not in the country, on the first week we come back, I want at least the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss this issue. I would also like some questions addressed by British forces. The soldier in question was carrying out orders. Who gave the order? Why are they not before the courts?

I formally second Senator Conway-Walsh's amendment that the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade come to the House today. I heard what Senator Wilson said and I will listen intently to what the Leader will say in this regard. It does warrant that level of response from the Irish Government.

With the greatest respect, I cannot nor would I dare speak on behalf of the Bloody Sunday families. However, I believe they expect the Irish Government to come out on the record on this most pivotal day. We must look at this in its broader context. As colleagues have acknowledged, all of our heads and our hearts are in Derry today. This is not just a traumatic and deeply hurtful day for the families involved in Bloody Sunday. This sits in the context of the ongoing inquest into the murders in Ballymurphy by the Parachute Regiment which is taking place in the Belfast High Court. At the beginning of it, I was joined by a range of Seanad colleagues from across the Chamber. What is emerging from the Ballymurphy inquest is harrowing. Fr. Hugh Mullan, a local priest, who went to the assistance of his parishioners carrying a white flag, much like the iconic image from Derry, was shot in the head and killed by the Parachute Regiment.

All of us need to reflect again on that wider context. Last week, in the British House of Commons, the Secretary of State, Karen Bradley, said British soldiers acted in a dignified and appropriate way. I wonder more was this a strategic decision to cause further hurt and trauma but also to prepare us for what we heard today.

Michael Finucane, the son of Pat Finucane, was involved in a significant finding in a judgment in the British Supreme Court a few weeks ago. He said today's decision is extremely worrying because of the circumstances of the killings and Saville's comments about the circumstances thereof. In his opinion, there is a big question over the Public Prosecution Service, PPS, comment that the evidence was not sufficient.

We all remember that joyous sense of relief that came down upon Derry on the day of the publication of the Saville inquiry. It has now gone to a deep sense of hurt, loss and a feeling of a great injustice being further inflicted upon these families. We will watch with interest and with solidarity with the families. It is urgently required for the Irish Government to give the House its views on this decision concerning Bloody Sunday and on the broader context of legacy issues.