The Scottish Executive has been accused of "moving the goalposts" after a report suggested child poverty has fallen dramatically over the last six years.

Official figures said that 21% of children in Scotland were living in households below the poverty line.

That compares with a figure of 34% when Labour took office in 1997, according to the statistics published by the Scottish Executive.

We stand by our commitment to beat child poverty within a generation

Margaret Curran Social Justice Minister

Ministers said they were on target to fulfil an election pledge of ending child poverty within a generation.

But critics claimed that the figures had been massaged.

The figures, compiled by the Department for Work and Pensions, suggested that 17% of adults were living in low income households, a fall of 3% since 1996/97.

They also said the number of pensioners living in poverty had fallen by 14%.

Absolute poverty is defined as a family of two adults and two children with less than �193 a week to spend after housing costs.

'Opportunity gap'

Social Justice Minister Margaret Curran said: "We have made huge inroads into defeating poverty and we stand by our commitment to beat child poverty within a generation.

"We remain completely focused on closing the opportunity gap that still prevents far too many Scots from realising their full potential.

"However, there are no simple solutions."

New Labour's claim that child poverty has gone down is a fiction

Kenny Gibson Scottish National Party

The Child Poverty Action Group argued that the government had changed the way the figures were compiled.

Danny Phillips said: "The executive seems to be moving the goalposts on child poverty.

"By the measure most commonly used, child poverty increased by 1% last year in Scotland.

"We wish they wouldn't do this as it risks causing cynicism among the public in the fight against child poverty."

He said the executive should invest in public services and benefits to help children growing up in low income households.

The Scottish National Party also accused the executive of "manipulating" statistics.

Baseline year

Social justice spokesman Kenny Gibson said: "New Labour's claim that child poverty has gone down is a fiction.

"By every international measure it has not fallen and their own official statistics show it has gone up by 10,000 since 1999.

"Labour are trying the oldest trick in the book. They have switched the measure they use and changed the baseline year from which they measure poverty."