Hi Bob,
I've contacted our consular services team who have informed me that you would apply for your China Visa as you did this year, and we would need a copy of your passport and a copy of your Visa to obtain the Tibet permission.
I'm sure you are aware that things do change (especially over a couple of years), so I would recommend that you ask again when you are closer to booking this trip and we can give you the most up to date information.
Kindest regards,
Julia
Hello Bob/Julia
An update a couple of years on, just for the record:
I am off to China/Tibet/Hong Kong in October with Travelsphere, and it appears that the situation is still the same.
When I completed the Chinese visa application form, I was advised (instructed?) not to include Tibet as one of the places to be visited, and the visa, received back from TS today, makes no mention of Tibet - and, indeed, has no provision for such a mention.
Since only a photocopy of the passport with included visa is required for the Tibet application, I imagine that this will be a group entry permit, and that there will be nothing in our passports to show that we have been there, except possibly for entry/exit stamps at the airport (this was in fact the case for my last visit to China, which was on a group visa).
Jim