Why Can Private Members' Bills Be Sometimes Convenient For Governments?

Governments often take little notice of bills which are not introduced by their administration. However, occasionally, some private members' bills introduced by backbench MPs are be welcomed by the government, who can make time available for it to be considered. This is a convenient means of passing legislation which the government agrees to, but is too cowardly to introduce themselves. These may often be matters of conscience, which are usually introduced by private members' bills and are subject to a free vote by all mainstream parties. Homosexual law reform or abortion law reform are two possible examples. On the other hand, a government may withhold support for a bill whilst promising to produce its own proposals as soon as possible. This tactic may be used to water down proposals if the government believes they are too wide in scope. This happened with the reform of the Official Secrets Act of 1988.