FIXED to the wall in my office is something known as "the follow-up board". It is a simple cork board to which we attach cuttings of "running stories" - significant issues and events which need to be followed up so that readers are kept up to date with the latest developments.

At the moment, the questions posed on the follow-up board include:

Has there been any breakthrough in the hunt for the killer of Richmond girl Jenny Nicholl?

Is there a conclusion to the investigation into why an innocent man was badly beaten by up to 19 police officers at his Teesside home?

What has happened to our Freedom of Information Act request to find out why a prisoner at Northallerton prison received a compensation pay-out of £575,000?

And is there any explanation yet to justify the suspension of Catholic priest Father Michael Higginbottom?

Since it is Easter - a time when we are urged to pay special attention to the messages and principles of Christianity - it is worth repeating the background to the case of Fr Higginbottom.

Fr Higginbottom was withdrawn from St Augustine's Roman Catholic Church in Darlington on December 10, 2004. Bemused members of the congregation, who held him in high regard, were told he was "spending some time away from the parish because matters had come to light that required investigation".

Two years and four months later, the congregation is still bemused because the investigation is apparently continuing and no light has been shed on what Fr Higginbottom may have done.

It is thought the investigation goes back to when he was teaching at a monastic college near Wigan in the 1970s and 1980s, but that is no more than speculation. Fr Higginbottom has never been arrested and his whereabouts are unclear. St Augustine's has not had a permanent priest since the suspension and church leaders say no information can be given.

Imagine if this happened in any other walk of life. Imagine if an employee was suspended by a company or organisation, pending an investigation which failed to reach a conclusion for so long. It would be considered a disgrace and an affront to human rights - and that's exactly what it is.

So today - Easter Monday - I pose the following questions:

How much longer must this sad state of affairs continue?

How much longer must this man be asked to put his life on hold without being told if he is to be condemned or declared innocent?

How much longer must the frustrated parishioners of St Augustine's be treated like children who are not mature enough to cope with the truth?

Until there are answers, Father Michael Higginbottom's name will remain pinned to the follow-up board.

ON a lighter note, an earlier column told how Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart had been thrilled when a bus was named after him on his home patch around Huddersfield.

It led to some suggestions of my own about celebrities who might have buses named after them.

I asked for further nominations and the winning entry came in from Martin Birtles, with the following:

Maggie Thatcher (OK in straight lines but not for turning); Michael Howard (keeps pulling to the right); Nicholas Soames MP (standing room only); Anne Widdecombe MP (best out after dark); and John Inman (no fares required, I'm free).