Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

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
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An insider's guide to a brilliant entry for the Ireland eGovernment Awards

Most teams think awards are about technology, scale, or budget.

They’re not.

On this episode of Transform Gov, we sit down with Declan Tuite, Head Judge of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, and Maeve Kneafsey, to break down what really separates winning entries from the rest.

Why strong projects fall short.
What judges are actually looking for.
And how to turn your work into a clear, compelling entry.

Because here’s the truth:

The difference between winning and losing is often not the project —
it’s how it’s explained.

If you’re planning to enter the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2026, start here.
Ready to enter? You can find step-by-step guides to entry on our website https://digitalgovawards.com/enter/resources/

Chapters
00:00 – Why this episode matters: helping you win
00:30 – Entries now open: key dates and deadlines
01:10 – Meet the head judge: Declan Tuite
02:00 – The #1 mistake applicants make
02:40 – It’s not the tech — it’s the story
03:20 – What judges actually look for
04:00 – Before and after: showing real impact
04:40 – Proof, not promises: using stats and evidence
05:30 – Who is the user? Why it matters
06:10 – Avoid this: jargon and over-explaining
06:50 – Innovation vs real-world results
07:30 – Picking the right category (and why it matters)
08:20 – Start early: why timing improves your entry
09:00 – Using supporting documents and visuals
09:40 – Writing clearly: answering the actual questions
10:20 – What makes an entry stand out
11:10 – Small projects can win (and do)
12:00 – Step-by-step: how to enter online
13:10 – Register, save, refine: how the system works
14:00 – Entering multiple categories
14:50 – What happens after you submit
16:00 – Final advice from the head judge
17:00 – Deadline reminder and key dates
18:00 – Why you should enter (even if unsure)

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In Part 2 of this Transform Gov conversation, Marie Wallace (Accenture) moves beyond the concept of digital identity — and explains what it actually means in practice for service delivery, cost, and efficiency.

The headline figure? Up to €8 billion in economic impact for Ireland.

But the real story is where that value comes from:
removing manual verification from services
eliminating repeated onboarding across organisations
reducing friction across life events
and integrating identity directly into business processes

From passports to healthcare to supply chains, this is a look at how identity sits at the centre of service transformation.

And why fixing it could change everything.

Get the full report The Identity Economy https://forms.office.com/r/fqCBsvQRv3

Chapters
00:00 Bringing digital identity into real-world impact
01:18 €8bn — where the number comes from
01:56 Manual verification — the hidden problem
02:46 Repeating data across services
03:06 Life events — why services don’t connect
04:53 Personalised services explained
05:47 Data control and AI at the edge
08:46 Fraud, deepfakes and verification
12:01 Where the biggest gains are (health, pensions, services)
13:38 Ireland’s opportunity and readiness
15:48 What governments must do next
18:04 What could derail progress
21:28 What changes over the next 3–5 years
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Digital identity is often talked about — but rarely understood in practical terms.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Marie Wallace, Managing Director and Global Lead for Digital Identities at Accenture, about what is broken in how we prove who we are today — and what is changing.

From repeatedly filling out forms to sharing far more personal data than necessary, Marie explains why current identity systems are no longer fit for purpose — and how digital wallets and selective data sharing could transform how citizens access services.

This conversation focuses on:
Why identity systems are fragmented and inefficient
How digital wallets give citizens more control over their data
What “selective sharing” actually looks like in practice
How trust is changing in a digital world
The risks if identity systems are implemented badly

In Part 2 we explore the economic impact and what this means for Ireland.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to digital identity and control of data
01:12 What digital identity actually means (and why it’s broken)
02:14 Why sharing too much data is a problem
03:02 Marie’s background in AI and data privacy
04:07 Why centralised data creates risk
06:18 AI, deepfakes and the growing identity challenge
07:50 Designing better identity into public services
09:11 Why identity isn’t reusable today
10:02 Public concern around biometrics and data
11:09 Breaking down silos between public and private services
12:27 The real problem: forms, friction and delays
13:26 What governments need to build (trust + wallets)
14:57 Trust frameworks and verification explained
16:27 EU regulation and what happens next
17:47 Who owns identity in this model
19:13 Efficiency and cost impact (part 2)
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In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey sits down with Malcolm Byrne TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, to unpack what has actually changed — and why the pace of change is now the real issue.

From courts using AI for real-time translation… to Revenue analysing thousands of tax codes… to the uncomfortable truth that other countries are already moving faster — this is not a future conversation. It’s happening now.

And the question is simple: are we ready?
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