The government has published new data on poverty in the UK.

Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions on Thursday showed that the number of pensioners below official absolute poverty thresholds fell from 2.7 million in 1996/97 to 1.1 million in 2001/02.

The number of children in households below official poverty thresholds fell from 4.3 million in 1996/97 to 1.8 million in 2001/02.

Forum Response: Barnardo's

A spokeswoman for Barnardo's told ePolitix.com: "The government's concentration on work as the only route out of poverty is clearly not enough to deliver its own targets.

"We need to establish a minimum income level for families - whether in or out of work - to ensure that all children are lifted clear of income poverty."

Forum Response: Age Concern

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "These figures are a positive step forward but there is still a long way to go to remove pensioners from the poverty trap. It is unacceptable that more than two million pensioners are living in poverty.

"This report also confirms that single female pensioners are still more likely to be living in poverty than men. The recent pensions green paper does little to address the inherent problems in the system which leave women with lower incomes in later life.

"The government must carry out a thorough assessment of pensioner needs and living costs to find out how much pensioners need to live on. Then the government must set ambitious targets for the reduction of pensioner poverty in the same way it has done for child poverty."

Forum Response: Help the Aged

Richard Wilson, policy officer at Help the Aged, said: "It is a scandal that over two million pensioners live in poverty. The main instrument of the government's anti-poverty strategy is means-tested benefits that, laudably, seek to lift incomes up to decency level. Yet £1.9 billion of benefits that should rightfully go to older people go unclaimed each year.

"The fact remains that a higher amount of older people's income is spent on housing, fuel and food than their younger counterparts. Until the government addresses regressive taxes such as council tax we will continue to see older people pushed into poverty."

Forum Response: Counsel and Care

Martin Green, chief executive of Counsel and Care, told ePolitix.com: "The issue of pensioner poverty is a major challenge for the government and there needs to be more done to address the problem of income in retirement in the long term or it will get worse."