From 3,000 to 18,000 applications — how the State rebuilt a system under pressure
Transform Gov - the digital government podcastShow Notes
Two years and nine months.
That’s how long people were waiting in the system — until everything had to change.
What happens when a public service built for 3,000 applications a year suddenly faces over 18,000?
That was the reality facing Ireland’s International Protection Office — a system under intense pressure, with growing backlogs, long delays, and real human consequences.
In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks to Emer Mullins and Daniel Drennan, the team behind a transformation programme that didn’t just improve a service — it fundamentally redesigned it.
From paper files that could stretch the length of a room…to fully digital workflows, online interviews, and real-time data dashboards… this is a story of what it actually takes to deliver change inside the public service — at scale, under pressure, and in real time.
You’ll hear: What the system looked like before — and why it wasn’t sustainable How they rebuilt processes before introducing technology What changed for staff — and for applicants How decisions increased dramatically without simply adding more people What other public sector teams can learn from this This is not theory. This is real delivery.
🎧 Listen now — and if it resonates, share it with someone working on transformation.
Chapters 00:00 — Welcome to Transform Gov 01:20 — What the International Protection Office actually does 02:30 — The surge: from 3,000 to 18,000 applications 04:44 — The “before”: paper, delays and pressure 06:44 — Waiting times: up to 2 years and 9 months 08:21 — The complexity: multiple agencies involved 10:07 — The tipping point — why change was unavoidable 11:25 — Where the transformation started 13:45 — Scaling up: staff, infrastructure and process 15:27 — From paper to digital — the reality on the ground 20:40 — Digitising 35,000+ case files 22:20 — Online interviews — what changed 25:49 — Time saved, faster decisions, real outcomes 27:30 — Preparing for new EU migration rules 29:39 — A fully digital applicant journey 32:38 — Data, dashboards and decision-making 34:59 — Lessons for other public sector teams 39:21 — What comes next Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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