I'm amazed at how much misunderstanding there is concerning the NPPL, it's not designed just for those who can't get a Class 2 and the training is not substantially different
Admittedly that's not all it is for, but that seems to be most of the market it attracts. The cost of keeping a class 2 going, particularly over the age of 40, does put a lot of people off bothering. Also, the fact that there are agreements in place to fly to France on a NPPL means that most pilots are kept happy with the occasional trip across the channel and have no desire to break any round the world records.
The reality is that 32 hours is pretty ambitious, whereas 45 is much more realistic.