In relation to your recent correspondence on mediation, I endorse the comments of Christopher Cox (13 December, page 25).
It is up to the parties to decide whether or not they want to settle during a mediation.

In my experience, parties are sometimes so blinkered by the issues in front of them that a gentle reminder about the costs and distraction to management of adjudication, arbitration or litigation does no harm. They then have the option – agree to settle, or take the risk.

It also does all of us no harm to be reminded that the purpose of operating in the UK building and engineering industries is to design and create buildings and projects for clients. Disputes are a huge deflection of that objective.

Len Bunton, Bunton Consulting, via email.