Had a chat with an HOT about visuals. His airline is very restrictive about them, although he wouldn't admit it. He says that the G/A's spike on CAVOK days, so better not to let the chaps do them; they cost time & money. He'd love to spend more time to bring manual flying and visual approaches up to scratch, but there is no spare sim time or money. With so many pilots from differing backgrounds spread all over the network there is no possible over-sight. Solution? Create a corps of button-pushing SOP monkeys. Safer & cheaper. I can understand Flt OPs thinking, but it is very sad. Will it reap rewards? We won't know until there is a problem of significance. There have been many near misses, but just that.