My questions are:
- do the hours have to be within a certain time period?
- do the hours have to be logged in the qualifying aircraft or can they be across multiple types?
- is there a website I haven't found that explains all this?
- No. But they do need to be recognised by the ATO which will end up putting you forward for test and signing your certificate of completion. In practice, if you have the logbook and they have been signed by the FI at the time and/or that FI is still around to do so now, they may be recognised, but see below.
- No. But same caveat.
- Yes. It's all in the various rules and regulations available on the CAA website
but in reality you're better of going to talk to your new ATO.
As mentioned by Chickenhouse, the 13 hours (all pre-solo, I would guess?) should mean that you need fewer hours from now on to arrive at the acceptable standard, but it is unlikely that they will mean that you will only require 32 hours from now on; very few pilots complete the course in 45 hours on the dot.
B.