Only current ratings can be transferred over though.....
If you don't renew expired ratings, they will be printed on the back of the licence, and you can renew them later. You will have to re-apply to the CAA to have them transferred to the front of the Licence before you can use them again though. (For a fee of course!)
No longer applicable The CAA recently changed its admin procedure so that an Examiner can Renew Ratings without CAA involvement (or cost) as long as they are listed somewhere on the Licence.
Although I would also recommend you renew your SEP and IMC prior to applying for your Part-FCL Licence
there is no longer any major benefit to doing this.
Make sure you apply for
all Ratings you have ever held to ensure they are put on to your new Licence (Front for current ones, Back for expired ones)
To answer your specific question:
Type specific, multi-pilot, IRs have no bearing on holding single pilot IRs or the IR(R).
You do not say that you hold a SPA-IR but, presumably, you must have done in the past so I would suggest you apply for both an IR(R) and the relevant (ME-SPA-IR?) when you apply for your Part-FCL Licence.
RED = Incorrect statements I wish to retract
(but left in so later Posts make sense)