The Government remains committed to supporting pensioners and has introduced a triple guarantee for the basic state pension ensuring it will increase each year by the highest of earnings, prices or 2.5% From April 2012, the basic state pension increased by £5.30 per week, the biggest cash increase ever. The Government has also protected other key pensioner benefits.In 2013-14, it is estimated that the changes to the age-related personal allowances will yield £360 million in 2013-14 of which around 2.2% will be from individuals resident in Northern Ireland.It is estimated that in Northern Ireland, 91,000 individuals will be affected in real terms by the combined changes to age-related personal allowances. Within this total, 89,000 are estimated to be affected by the freeze in the amount of these allowances and 13,000 by the changes to the eligibility conditions for them. The estimates do not sum to the total as some individuals are affected by both announcements.None will lose in cash terms. Those individuals who will no longer be eligible for the age-related allowances will benefit from the largest ever cash increase in the level of the personal allowance and further increases in future as part of the Government's long term commitment to increase the personal allowance to £10,000.These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected to 2013-14 in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's March 2012 economic and fiscal outlook.