People travel overseas to do things overseas that aren't legal in Ireland all the time. You know, are we going to stop people going to Las Vegas? Are we going to stop people going to Amsterdam? There are things that are illegal in Ireland, and we don't prevent people from travelling overseas to avail of them.

Economic gains on their own, without a vision for society to accompany them, will result in a squandered prosperity that will ultimately be unsustainable.

There are a lot of people who want to retain the Eighth Amendment - I don't agree with that view myself - there are others who want to remove it, but when you ask them what that means, they aren't able to tell you.

What I do now is I train in the mornings, and people ask me why I do it. I do it for two reasons: first of all, to keep in shape, but secondly, I think training, sport, and physical activity is really good for mental health.

I was with my mum in the shops, a ladies boutique or something, and I was asked what I wanted to be when I grow up. I think you're supposed to say an ambulance man or a footballer or a soldier or something like that, and I told all my mother's friends that I wanted to be Minister for Health. She was mortified, needless to say.

Politicians should not get involved in the detail of clinical criteria and shouldn't be arguing with professors and consultants over whether there is one standard deviation or two standard deviations.

I have always stuck my neck out on policy issues.

I consider myself pro-life, as I accept that the unborn is a human life with rights, and I do not support abortion on request or on demand.

I was appointed to Cabinet three times; on no occasion did I pitch for what position I wanted.

I've never had a choice of which government department I would hold. I've always been assigned a department by the Taoiseach.

I think there should be a law that would allow the Oireachtas to take pensions away from people. That would go for corrupt politicians; it would go for public servants who failed miserably or were incompetent.

I know when my father travelled 5,000 miles to make his home in Ireland, I doubt he ever dreamed that his son would one day grow up to be its leader.

I think Sinn Fein remains the greatest threat to our democracy and our prosperity as a state.

We really need to come behind and press for marriage equality in Northern Ireland.

There should be no economic border at all between the North and South.

I see us very much at the heart of Europe. We are founding members of the single market; we are founding members of the euro.

We always need to bear in mind that when it comes to blood transfusion, it's the person that's receiving the blood who takes the risk, not the person donating it.

Part of my mission, if I have that opportunity as leader, is to take Sinn Fein on.

My instinct is to say it as I see it, being a little bit edgy and showing leadership on policy issues.

In a time of global uncertainty, rising terrorism, and enormous threats to peace, it's right that we as a country should now seek to extend our diplomatic footprint overseas.

My job as Taoiseach, and the job of any government, of course, is to represent all people.

I don't rule out raising some taxes into the future.

I have enormous respect for people who come from a strong family background in Fine Gael.

What I am interested in are the philosophies of the future. That's what drives me.