This has been a very interesting thread to read through and well done to A4 for digging the answer out of AMC and IEM. Circling is currently a hot topic in the company I work for and it is often included in sim checks.
I believe circling approaches are entirely inappropriate for medium to large aircraft, even modern ones with Map etc which does help SA. In particular, I believe circling approaches at night belong to the lunatic fringe of aviation and should not be allowed by ICAO. That's not what the fare-paying public expects in terms of safe transportation.
I can't agree with you, SIDSTAR, and I think your language is a tad emotive. What would you do if the destination had published instrument approaches to one end only of a single runway and a 20-25 kt wind favouring the other end? Divert? Cancel the service? Besides, I doubt very much if many of the fare-paying public have the slightest clue what a circling approach is.