I guess the Buxton and Chester services could utilize 11 and 12, with the Cleethorpes on 10.
Is it known which 185s are going to Ireland yet and will their FC be retained?
We don't know if any will be going to Ireland yet. The IR tender for secondhand DMUs seems to be tailored for the 185s, which supports forum and industry rumours. IR want 20 units so there would be two spare. In addition the franchise agreement tapers down the minimum number required. On 8th December its 39 units, 5th January 33 units, 2nd February 32 units, 1st March 30 units and 1st April 29 units. This means that IR can take all 20 units by 3rd February.
Incidentally, the clause for releasing a further 15 x 185s can be used no earlier than 1st January 2022, is subject to approval by the secretary of state and the number of vehicles (but not units) cannot be reduced. This means that 15 x 185s would have to be replaced by 9 x 5 coach units despite both 5 coach 802s and Mark V sets having a similar capacity to double 185s due to the latters lower number of seats per coach. If TPE had a particular upgrade in mind e.g. 802s for Liverpool-Scarbrough to release Mark Vs for Piccadilly-Hull then they could hand