From 3,000 to 18,000 applications — how the State rebuilt a system under pressure

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 sustainableHow they rebuilt processes before introducing technologyWhat changed for staff — and for applicantsHow decisions increased dramatically without simply adding more peopleWhat other public sector teams can learn from thisThis is not theory.This is real delivery.🎧 Listen now — and if it resonates, share it with someone working on transformation.Chapters00:00 — 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.