Alpha,
If you are low hours student and cannot make the June 30th 2002 date for CAA CPL, your route to glory now must be:
JAA CPL(A)(R) from BCPL(A) on a complex single skill test by examiner.
OR
JAA CPL(A) via CAA flight test on a complex single.
When you have been issued a JAA CPL by the CAA, you have 36 months from the end of the month you took your last written exam (whether it was a CAA or a JAA exam. Within this time one thing you have to achieve an Instrument Rating and have it applied to your licience otherwise you will have to sit your exams again.
Only when you have achieved a pass at the IR can your credits be secured for a further time period of the order of 5 years or so from the date of the IR exam.
30th June 2002 will only be beneficial to you if you wish to use the CAA 'loopholes' of achieving an IR on reduced hours by having an IMC rating or achieve a UK CPL(A)/IR (then your credits will be "frozen indefinitely").
Unfortunately, everyone I speak to on this 36 month matter is comming from a different situation. I advise you to email the CAA or better still go and talk to them directly. When you get the answer, take it back to the flying organisation who gave you the advice and see what they say. Sereval iterations will be required to achieve the truth.
I've been in situations in the past where the CAA and the flying organisations have both got the 'best route for you' wrong and initial advice has been incorrect. In fairness to both types of organisation, there have been times where no one has understood what was going on with rules as they were changing on a monthly basis.
At present the 36 month rule applies and has been one of these new time deadlines slipped in by the JAR policymakers. It has been objected to by a number of people who take the slower route to 'ATPL(A)/IR utopia' and instruct for some time before moving up to larger aircraft.
Furthermore, it is questionable as to whether the 36 month 'loss of credits' is enforceable as the removal of IR unrelated credits (ATPL exams) in such a manner can be seen as a breach of EU human rights. So when the new European Aerospace Body comes into existance and removes the powers of the CAA that will be one of the first things to go.
Alternately, we could have the situation where every JAR pilot re-sits these exams every 36 months to force a level playing field. That would be just achievable as far as I'm concerned, but I'd be interested in how many 50 year old commanders would be up for that with failure meaning losing your job. But that's a argument for another day and another time.......
Like all other initial career based written exams, once they are passed they should passed for life. Unfortunately, this is not the case and you have 36 months to comply. Be totally sure of your situation, check directly with the CAA. The last thing on earth you want to do is re-sit the JAR ATPL exams.