SENIOR Department of Justice civil servants met officials of the British Home Office in London yesterday to discuss the transfer of prisoners to Irish jails.

The meeting took place against a background of newspaper reports quoting claims by senior British government sources that Dublin was blocking the transfer of more than 20 republican prisoners to the State.

Describing the reports as "inaccurate", a Department spokeswoman in Dublin said the number of Provisional IRA prisoners in British jails was 19.

One of these was due to be repatriated shortly and four were having their transfer applications processed by the Department.

Out of the remaining 14, two had expressed no wish to be transferred; five had outstanding charges against them and were as yet ineligible for transfer; it was understood a number of the remainder might also be ineligible because their sentences had not yet been finalised.

Five republican prisoners had already been moved to this jurisdiction under the European Convent ion on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. They were Brendan Dowd, Paddy Kelly, Derek Doherty, Pairic Mac Fhloinn and Michael O'Brien.

The total number of applications from Provisional IRA prisoners formally transmitted to Dublin so far by the British authorities was 10.