Currently, the 1,200 travelling people who lead a nomadic lifestyle in Northern Ireland, live on serviced sites developed by the district councils or simply on the roadsides.

But Northern Ireland Environment Minister Lord Dubs has announced that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive will now taking a "leading role" in offering travelling people housing.

'Poor conditions'

Lord Dubs said: "For too long travellers have been marginalised and have suffered from poor living conditions.

"This has led to low levels of education and higher levels of mortality and disease than for the rest of society. Proper accommodation is vital if these issues are to be tackled."

The minister said that while district councils would still be responsible for providing transit sites for travelling people to travel between, the Housing Executive would soon be offering grouped housing to extended traveller families and may also take on responsibility for existing static serviced traveller sites.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive welcomed its new responsibility.

Executive Chairman Sid McDowell said: "Travellers often have to endure some of the worst housing conditions in Northern Ireland, which is believed to contribute to poor health and lower educational achievement.

"Their housing needs are often special and they deserve equal opportunity to housing which meets their needs, whether this is permanent or temporary."

Group support

The Executive said any accommodation would be managed with the support of individual travellers groups.

The agency also said that four traveller accommodation pilot sites in Belfast, Magherafelt and Omagh had been well received.

But district councillors in the borough of Newtownabbey, where travellers often stay on unauthorised sites, told BBC News Online that there may be a "not in my back yard" response to new proposals.

Alderman Jim Rooney said: "As far as Newtownabbey is concerned travellers don't get much sympathy because they leave the sites in a terrible state.

"I wish the Executive good luck. We wouldn't regret giving them up."

Councillor Edward Crilly added that he believed it would be difficult to persuade travellers to give up their nomadic life.

He said: "I think travellers enjoy their taste of life otherwise they wouldn't do it. They go to the various fairs in summer and between areas where they can get work."

'Effort' call

Councillor David Hollis, who has been in contact with travellers' support groups, said that if travellers decide to leave the nomadic life every effort should be made to house them.

But he said that although some travellers in Newtownabbey had settled successfully into the community, he foresaw continuing problems.

He said: "The not in my back yard syndrome will carry through. There will always be the same objections in Northern Ireland. The district councils will be consulted but it won't go very far until people see it working in other areas."