Passage: The Winter Fuel Payment is a state benefit paid once per year in the United Kingdom to qualifying individuals. It is intended to cover the additional costs of heating over the winter months. It was introduced by the Labour government in 1997 and was first announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in his Pre-Budget Statement of that year.\n\nQuestion: Based on this passage, when was the winter fuel payment first introduced? Let's have some stream of consciousness first.
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To answer the above question, the relevant sentence is: It was introduced by the Labour government in 1997 and was first announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in his Pre-Budget Statement of that year. So, the answer is 1997.
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