Has Brown bottled this week's PMQs?

From today's Downing Street lobby briefing:

"The Prime Minister will miss PMQs on Wednesday to join the welcoming ceremony for the State Visit of President Zuma of South Africa. PMQs will be taken by the Leader of the House, Harriet Harman. Opposition parties have been informed, the Downing Street spokesman said."

Two questions spring to mind:

1. Is it necessary for Mr Brown to attend the welcoming ceremony when he'll be meeting Mr Zuma at other times?
2. If the answer to question one is 'yes', couldn't the usual channels have ensured the ceremony was timetabled for before or after PMQs? President Zuma might even have liked to attend.

A cynic might suggest Mr Brown was trying to avoid PMQs.

Tim Montgomerie