Re: UK standards for instructing SEP
It's really the examiner's job of enforcing standards at SEP level. If an instructor sends students up who aren't ready then this should be made known to the regulator who should find out why. Problem I see is that examiners tend to make a judgement call at PPL level on whether the student is 'safe' to embark on his licence to learn. The vast majority of the time this will work out OK, but you will get some muppets fall through the cracks, but no system will ever prevent this happening. I am sure there are muppets flying jets who get through the tough quality control at airlines.
Anecdotal stories about FAA/JAA/CAA individual cases are good for after dinner speeches but not much else. I've had a fair few CAA checkout candidates, the vast majority of whom are safe to go with minimal difference training. Recent currency appears to be key and not whether their licence came from the back of a cornflake packet. However looking at the recent changes to the JAA PPL, they do seem to be including new stuff the FAA has had in there for some time. No doubt JAA will one day be requiring GPS approaches in suitably equipped aircraft when taking the IR, and in the JAA registered plane the ADF will be something you use to listen to the sports results.