Welsh Questions, TV's Michael Fabricant and sofabeds

He may be slightly better known for his recent appearance on Have I Got News For You but Tory MP Michael Fabricant found time in his busy schedule to drop in on Welsh Question Time in the House of Commons this morning.

Mr Fabricant, who occasionally mentions his Welsh roots, wanted to know if the UK government would consider re-naming the National Assembly for Wales.

Welsh Secretary David Jones, the subject of recent press speculation about his cabinet future, declined the suggestion.

Mr Fabricant was not put off: "But in the light of the Silk review which is likely to give fund-raising powers to the National Assembly does he not agree with me, and perhaps more importantly, definitely more importantly, with the leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies that now is the time to start considering calling it the Welsh parliament?"

Mr Jones's predecessor, Cheryl Gillan, visibly winced at the title given to Mr Davies. Monmouth Tory David Davies shook his head to make clear his opposition to the re-branding idea.

David Jones began with a topical reference: "Well, have I got news for my honourable friend," before adding: "The silk commission has not yet completed its work. It will be reporting in the spring of this year but I would say that the title "National Assembly" is one that is used by the primary legislatures of countries such as France and South Africa but also by the regional legislature for Quebec.

"I think the issue is what the legislature does, not what it's called."

Plaid Cymru have made the lack of a UK government response to the first Silk report the focus of their opposition to the Queen's Speech and say they will push their amendment to a vote tonight in a device designed to highlight Labour divisions over the assembly's powers. The vote may get slightly less attention than the one on the Tory eurosceptic amendment but Plaid Cymru would argue that's not the point.

The Silk report isn't in the Queen's Speech because ministers have yet to agree a formal response, which, MPs were told today, would be published within the next few weeks.

Elsewhere, David Jones's Labour shadow, Owen Smith, tried - and failed - to discover whether the secretary of state wants Britain to stay in or leave the EU.

Labour's David Hanson tried to find out if Mr Jones's deputy, Stephen Crabb, agreed with comments about what Labour have branded the "bedroom tax" by Welfare Reform Minister Lord Freud "who suggested that those who are concerned about this should sleep on sofas".

Mr Crabb defended his ministerial colleague: "His comments about sleeping on sofabeds were made in the context of families where the parents split apart and whether there's a duty on the state to provide benefits sufficient for each separated parent to have family-sized accommodation for the children during the same week.

"Now if that's the position of the party opposite then they should say that clearly from the front bench but that's an enormous burden for the taxpayer to pick up, picking up all the costs of relationship breakdown in that way."