The "Loss of control in IMC" in that CAA leaflet does not make any sense at all given the IMCR syllabus and the fact that the CAA evidently approves of the IMCR being taught! You are already taught to "get out of trouble" in the PPL (a 180 on instruments).
I suspect it was produced by someone who lives well behind the times and probably does not fly much beyond short local trips. One clue to this is the bit about not fiddling with a GPS. However it is OK to fiddle with the throttle, the fuel valve, the carb heat, numerous things that need to be watched.... While I have absolutely no wish to detract from the safety messages in these leaflets, they are occassionally written in a very patronising and not useful manner.
Re the stats, very very few current PPL pilots have an IR. You can see the data at
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/175/srg_fc...es_2002_03.pdf
Out of 2233 PPL/A licenses issued, only TWO had an IR; 337 had the IMCR. Previous years' figures show a much higher proportion of PPLs with an IR; presumably these were a hangover from the CAA PPL / CAA IR days and this shows how JAA has practically killed off the PPL/IR option.
So.... the bottom line is that the IMCR is the only realistic option for a UK pilot who wants to fly seriously, unless he can go the FAA PPL/IR route but that in turn needs an N-reg plane which is not an option for most pilots...