I was always under impression, (please anyone! feel free to correct me) that once you have passed the horrendous 14 exams, you had 5 years in which to do your GFT (skills test) in order to secure your licence or if you do the GFT (skills test) first then you had only 6 months to secure the actual licence. The licence then being valid a life time, unless it is revoked for some reason or another. With regards to the class 1 medical, that has to be passed in order to exercise the privileges of the licence and if for example you fail the med. because your say overweight you have a temporary suspension until you lose weight.
If you don't remain current, I again was under the impression that you just had to go to an ATO to get back your proficiency whereby you would then carry out a mini GFT to regain currency (which I myself have done in the passed) at that ATO.
As the IR is only a rating as apposed license, I can understand and may expect that the CAA would have you do the theory and oral exams pertaining to that rating and maybe a skills test, but I really can't see how that would affect you actual ATPL Licence and apart from a "MONEY EXERCISE" why you would have to do those expensive, awful, irritating 14 theory exams again unless you didn't secure your licence with the corresponding GFT (skills test) which no one in their right mind would ever want to repeat.
I myself would be very interested to know for sure as I may be finding myself in a similar predicament which would be
