Legislation to introduce free personal care at home for people with high-level needs in England passed through the House of Commons last night.

The government's Personal Care at Home Bill received its third reading unopposed, but must now secure the backing of the House of Lords if it is to become law before the general election, which must happen by 3 June and is tipped to take place on 6 May.

Costs and benefits

The legislation would benefit an estimated 111,000 people who now pay for care privately or are charged by councils and would also give people entering the care system access to six weeks' re-ablement support to help reduce their need for care, benefiting an estimated 130,000 people a year. It would cost an estimated £670m a year - £420m of which would be funded by the Department of Health with councils expected to find the rest through efficiency savings.

Following a government motion - opposed by the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats - MPs were given just one day to both debate the details of the bill and vote on its third reading. Typically bills are passed to a committee of MPs for debate over a period of days.

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