Prius "combination Display" known design Fault + Start-Up & stop

Wondering if anyone in UK, EU, or outside US has experienced an issue with the "Combination Display, instrument cluster" intermittently turning on/off plus difficulty starting and stopping the Prius power.

This problem has been reported in USA but curious if i'm the only person experiencing this very same issue in UK? This has been well documented on various American online forums: (Had to remove links here but it's easy to find).

I reluctantly paid my local Toyota dealer £66.00 to diagnose this issue which is daft since I had already advised the issue. However Toyota Technical recommended replacing the combination meter at a cost of an additional £566.42.

I have only recently acquired this second hand 2009 Prius T-Spirit after 4 years smooth sailing with my former Prius.
Has anybody else experienced a similar fault (outside US) and how was this fixed?

Thank you