Pilot16,
The hours requirement to apply for an IR has to include 50hrs cross-country as PIC, in addition to the training required for the rating itself.
You have to do 7 exams for the IR (14 in total for the ATPL) and there are a few schools that do this on a distance learning basis (check the CAA web site for a list). However, I'm not sure if these are a pre-requisiste to starting the course or whether you can do them whilst training. So it's worth checking that out. Also note that you have 36 months from the date at which you passed the last exam to get the IR.
The flying requirements for a PPL are 50hrs for single-engine or 55 hrs multi-engine. These hours are reduced by 5 if you hold a CPL.
No. 2