I suggest you lot get back to the books and get your facts right. This has been done to death over and over again. It is absolutely legal to fly to the same minima as an IR holder. The AIP/ANO says so, the CAA say so, and I flew to 250ft with screens on my initial skills test because the examiner also says so. The 500/600ft minima are RECOMMENDATIONS.
I couldn't give a toss if the CAA read PPRuNe, because I (and many others) are doing nothing wrong whatsoever. I've sat down over tea and biscuits at Gatwick AND ASKED THEM. This is commonly misunderstood by many pilots, and even some instructors. Ask your CFI next time you're in (assuming you do actually fly real planes of course). I will entirely agree in that flying minima approaches if you're not both CURRENT and COMPETENT is stupidity itself, but what it certainly is not is illegal.