--- gcc-4.8/gcc/fortran/resolve.c	2012-05-06 19:29:21.794825508 +0200
+++ gcc-4.8-patched/gcc/fortran/resolve.c	2012-05-06 19:24:40.770831649 +0200
@@ -11666,7 +11666,7 @@
   for ( ; c != NULL; c = c->next)
     {
       /* See PRs 51550, 47545, 48654, 49050, 51075 - and 45170.  */
-      if (c->ts.type == BT_CHARACTER && c->ts.deferred)
+      if (c->ts.type == BT_CHARACTER && c->ts.deferred && !c->attr.function)
 	{
 	  gfc_error ("Deferred-length character component '%s' at %L is not "
 		     "yet supported", c->name, &c->loc);
diff -urN gcc-4.8/gcc/fortran/trans-expr.c
gcc-4.8-patched/gcc/fortran/trans-expr.c
--- gcc-4.8/gcc/fortran/trans-expr.c	2012-05-06 19:29:21.878825505 +0200
+++ gcc-4.8-patched/gcc/fortran/trans-expr.c	2012-05-06 19:25:53.134830069 +0200
@@ -4175,7 +4175,9 @@
 	     we take the character length of the first argument for the result.
 	     For dummies, we have to look through the formal argument list for
 	     this function and use the character length found there.*/
-	  if (ts.deferred && (sym->attr.allocatable || sym->attr.pointer))
+	  if (ts.deferred && ((!comp && (sym->attr.allocatable
+              || sym->attr.pointer)) || (comp && (comp->attr.allocatable
+              || comp->attr.pointer))))
 	    cl.backend_decl = gfc_create_var (gfc_charlen_type_node, "slen");
 	  else if (!sym->attr.dummy)
 	    cl.backend_decl = VEC_index (tree, stringargs, 0);