The new assembly chamber is in the pipeline

Critics of the idea have sought to embarrass Mr Morgan since announcing the new name in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday.

Plans for the change are not due to be approved until 30 January, however.

Lord Elis-Thomas, who is also sitting in the group taking consultation submissions on the proposed name change, said Mr Morgan should not have jumped the gun.

The Assembly Review of Procedures Group agreed conflicting views would be included in its final report, which is yet to be approved.

'Unhelpful dealings'

"It's very difficult when announcements are made by press release which the assembly finds out about later," he said.

"That's not helpful. We were in the middle of consultation on it.

"There were officials who didn't want the title of National Assembly for Wales to begin with because it differentiated Wales from other regions in the UK.

Confusing the two names is leading to greater confusion about who is responsible for jobs and health

Dafydd Elis Thomas

"It seems that tendency has persuaded the first minister the title is too good a democratic title and we should be called something less striking."

Equivalent to the speaker of the House of Commons, the presiding officer maintains order and is responsible for day-to-day equality in assembly business.

Lord Elis-Thomas, who acts as an impartial chair to assembly business, said: "There is nothing at all wrong with the current name.

"The legal name of the body is 'National Assembly for Wales' - I don't see what the problem is.

"By obfuscating and confusing the two names, this is leading to greater confusion about who is responsible for jobs, health and all those other issues."

The first minister is looking for greater clarity

Mr Morgan had explained the public had "simply not latched on" to the title National Assembly for Wales.

The executive's name had to be changed to reflect the distinction between the cabinet government and the democratic body, he said.

But the plan was immediately riducled as a "complete nonsense" by Labour colleague and former Welsh Secretary Ron Davies, who oversaw the blueprint for the original title in 1998.

Assembly staff, who already have an array of acronyms at their disposal, have been ordered not to refer to the newly named cabinet as 'WAG'.

But Conservative AMs jokingly bandied the term about during business in the chamber on Thursday morning.