Henry McLeish was challenged by the SNP

MSPs debated the motion during the morning, before SNP leader John Swinney challenged Mr McLeish on the issue during first minister's questions.

He asked the first minister to say if he would defy parliament if the vote went against the executive.

Mr McLeish told him: "The voice of this parliament cannot be ignored and will not be ignored.

"Let me go further. We will listen to what the parliament has to say, and we will respond in a clear and distinctive fashion."

The potential rebellion followed Health Minister Susan Deacon's announcement on Wednesday of a range of measures to improve nursing and personal care for older people.

Free personal care

Free care will be extended to cover people suffering from dementia and there will be a single means test for all elderly people.

But she did not commit the executive to rolling out all of the recommendations in Sir Stewart Sutherland's report.

SNP health spokeswoman Nicola Sturgeon told parliament on Thursday that a majority of Scottish people wanted free personal care for the elderly.

"This government, and the first minister in particular, has over the last three months misled the people of Scotland," she said.

She said Mr McLeish was now "trying hard to rewrite history" because he led the Scottish people to believe that Sutherland would be implemented in full.

There is a genuine difference of opinion between us on these benches and the Labour Party, but a difference of opinion is not grounds for divorce

Keith Raffan, Liberal Democrat

"He was happy to let the Scottish people believe that he was about to do the right thing by Scotland's pensioners, but has allowed himself to be dictated to by his colleagues in London," she said.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Keith Raffan said: "The executive is a partnership, a coalition government between two parties.

"Ministers cannot get what they want simply by driving it through using a large majority.

"The executive cannot command support, they must win it."

Mr Raffan said his party wanted the executive to make a "clear, firm and unequivocal commitment" to free personal care for all older people and give a timetable for implementation.

We don't want to make promises to people if we can't say when they can be delivered and how they can be delivered

Health Minister Susan Deacon

And he added: "There is a genuine difference of opinion between us on these benches and the Labour Party, but a difference of opinion is not grounds for divorce".

Tory health spokeswoman Mary Scanlon accused the executive of delaying tactics.

"Today you have run out of excuses. Today you have run out of time. Today is your opportunity to help old folk in Scotland, and if you choose otherwise it will never be forgotten," she said.

But Ms Deacon said that if the executive made a promise it had to be able to deliver on it.

Sir Stewart Sutherland recommended free care

"We don't want to make promises to people if we can't say when they can be delivered and how they can be delivered," she said.

She said that over the next six months the executive wanted to come up with answers based on policy decisions, investment and fact - not rhetoric.

"If we say we will promote change and improvement for older people in Scotland we will deliver change for people.

"We will say when we will do it, how we will do it and what the consequences are for making changes".