The government is to seek the views of poverty experts on how to build on current indicators to measure child poverty.

The Department for Work and Pensions has published the "Measuring Child Poverty" consultation paper in response to calls from academics and other poverty experts to look at different ways of measuring poverty including those used in other countries.

Forum Response: Age Concern

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern in England, told ePolitix.com: "Age Concern is dismayed to discover that the government's promised consultation on poverty completely misses out pensioner poverty. The omission gives the unfortunate impression that pensioner poverty is not seen as a priority by the government.

"One in five older people still lives in poverty. There is an urgent need for debate so that everyone understands the progress of the government's approach to tackling pensioner poverty, and secondly so that younger people are able to think carefully about saving towards their future retirement."