diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 803c6f9cf..7f111bb72 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ linux (4.16-1~exp1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
   [ Ben Hutchings ]
   * Set ABI name to trunk
   * debian/config: Rename [build]signed-modules setting to signed-code
+  * debian/lib/python/debian_linux/gencontrol.py: Allow overriding output
+    filenames
 
  -- Roger Shimizu <rogershimizu@gmail.com>  Fri, 23 Mar 2018 21:10:34 +0900
 
diff --git a/debian/lib/python/debian_linux/gencontrol.py b/debian/lib/python/debian_linux/gencontrol.py
index 370dccb26..ae3e8d449 100644
--- a/debian/lib/python/debian_linux/gencontrol.py
+++ b/debian/lib/python/debian_linux/gencontrol.py
@@ -321,11 +321,11 @@ class Gencontrol(object):
         self.config.write(f)
         f.close()
 
-    def write_control(self, list):
-        self.write_rfc822(codecs.open("debian/control", 'w', 'utf-8'), list)
+    def write_control(self, list, name='debian/control'):
+        self.write_rfc822(codecs.open(name, 'w', 'utf-8'), list)
 
-    def write_makefile(self, makefile):
-        f = open("debian/rules.gen", 'w')
+    def write_makefile(self, makefile, name='debian/rules.gen'):
+        f = open(name, 'w')
         makefile.write(f)
         f.close()