The English Prison Service is considering two transfer applications to Northern Ireland by prisoners with alleged UVF connect ions. The Scottish Prison Service is also considering one transfer application to the North.
The English service also confirmed the transfer of seven republican prisoners to Ireland would be agreed within weeks.
The confirmation came as the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, held crisis talks with the Progressive Unionist Party last night. The party has threatened to walk out of the talks because of what it said was the Irish Government's favourable treatment of republican prisoners, compared with the British government's treatment of loyalist prisoners.
The English Prison Service refused to release the names of the applicants.
The Scottish Prison Service refused to give more details of the transfer, or if the prisoner is republican or loyalist. However, it confirmed it is considering a request for an accumulated visits transfer to Northern Ireland.
Prisoners can "save up" their prison visits and apply to the Scottish Prison Service for them to take place at another prison, for example, one which is closer to relatives. The transfer to another prison for the visits would be only a temporary measure.
The transfer of seven republican prisoners - John Crawley, Donal Gannon, Gerald Hanratty, Robert Morrow, Francis Rafferty, Liam O Dhuibhir and Peter Sherry - have been agreed by the Department of Justice and sent to the Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, for a final decision. A prison spokesman said the transfers would be completed "shortly, but not before Christmas".
Crawley, Gannon, Hanratty, Morrow and Rafferty were each sentenced to 35 years at the Old Bailey in July for conspiracy to cause explosions at London electricity sub-stations. Patrick Martin, who was sentenced with them, was transferred to Northern Ireland last week.
O Dhuibhir was sentenced to 30 years in 1990 for conspiracy to cause explosions. He was arrested in south Wales the previous year. Sherry was given a life sentence in 1986 for conspiracy to cause explosions.