Margaret Ann Cummings has campaigned since her son's murder

Margaret Ann Cummings is campaigning for a law telling parents if registered sex offenders live in their area.

Her eight-year-old son Mark was killed and thrown down a rubbish chute by Stuart Leggate, a known sex offender.

Leggate lived in the same tower block as Mrs Cummings and her son in the Royston area of Glasgow.

The so-called "Mark's Law" also calls for a review of where sex offenders are housed and for special courts to be set up to deal with paedophiles.

Ms Cummings made her case to the Scottish Parliament's Public Petitions Committee.

I have tried to follow the correct and peaceful procedures to try and effect the change needed and get justice for Mark Margaret Ann Cummings

On Wednesday, MSPs on the committee agreed the matter should be referred to colleagues on the Justice 2 Committee.

In a letter to MSPs she said: "My petition simply asks that parents and carers are afforded the right to know how many registered child sex offenders are living in their area."

She added she had never asked for the names and addresses of such offenders to be released.

There were still other issues that needed to be addressed, such as where offenders were housed and the length of their sentences.

Ms Cummings described the murder of her son as a horrendous experience with which she still struggled to cope.

Mark Cummings was murdered by Leggate in June 2004

She said: "I have tried to follow the correct and peaceful procedures to try and effect the change needed and get justice for Mark."

Since Ms Cummings' petition was lodged with the parliament last year, the Scottish Executive has brought forward a series of proposals based on an independent report by Professor George Irving.

These include giving certain people - such as leisure centre bosses, employers and landlords - information on sex offenders if they ignore police warnings about their behaviour.