I won't start in about the new crop of very low time chaps we have coming into the RHS these days as I expect every jet pilot to meet the standard and that should include the ability to hand fly a raw data visual approach - but that is what the sim is for.
Bradley mate, your opinion seems naiive. How can you expect the 'new' F/O to get any good at visual approaches if they only ever do one or two every six months in the sim, which is usually pretty hopeless for real visuals as you can't see the runway until on a true base leg?
Every pilot meets the basic requirements laid down by their regulatory authority in order to keep the type useable on their licence. But that is merely scratching the surface, a good pilot means to be able to do much more than the basic required standard and that comes with experience and time on type. Fly one visual approach every six months and I bet they are no good at visual approaches, fly them whenever the operation permits (wx, environment, crew etc) and they will soon get much better at them.
Any company that makes blanket rules about not hand flying the aircraft is storing up future problems and links in error chains. Take a look at your MEL once in a while and see what automatics not working constitute no-go items, better still, see when they don't! That day is not the day to 'wonder' how to fly the a/c to TOC, in the cruise and from TOD without said automatics.
PP