So please indulge me a little further (also for the benefit of the PPRuNe GA community at large...) is there yet an EASA syllabus for the IR(R) for those without such 'grandfather' rights? If, so, how many hours? And would/will it confer privileges outside UK airspace?
1. The IR(R) is simply the name given to the UK IMCr when attached to a Part-FCL licence.
2. There is no 'EASA IR(R)' syllabus; training is the same as it has always been.
3. The IR(R) is restricted to the same privileges as the UK IMCr, hence it has no validity outside UK airspace.
4. Under current EASA proposals, any IMC rating application received after Apr 2014 would not be eligible for inclusion on a Part-FCL licence; instead it would be included in a national UK licence and could not be used on EASA aeroplanes.
5. The NPA 2011-16 CRD has raised such anger at the brusque dismissal of the FCL.600(b) proposal to reintroduce the provisions of JAR-FCL 1.175(b) that hard questions are being asked at very high level! The EASA rulemakers "Weil Befehl ist Befehl!" attitude is unacceptable and they need to address the issue to the commission. So our fight for continuance of the IMCr / IR(R) goes on!
6. An IR(R) is an EASA IR(A) restricted to UK IMCr privileges in accordance with the Aircrew Regulation.