Baroness Parminter hosted the debate this morning on measures to encourage more women to participate in sports on a professional basis.

She praised golf's governing bodies and clubs for expanding their membership to include female participation.

Lord Gardiner, spokesperson for DCMS, highlight that Sport England's This Girl Can campaign seeks to raise the profile of women's participation and highlighted the Get into Golf programme which has achieved 45% female participation

He highlighted the DCMS Advisory Board on Women's Sport which was set up in October 2013. Increasing the media profile of professional sport is one recommendation. The others are:

• Increasing participation
• Increasing commercial investment and sponsorship opportunities
• Improve women's representation in leadership and the workforce
• Greater recognition of women's sporting achievements

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson called for the government to consider an equivalent to the Title IX legislation in the USA, which seeks to implement equality in sport as a legal requirement at all levels and has had enormous success in higher education since implemented in 1970s. The effectiveness of prospect of the legislation in UK schools is debated here by the Sport and Recreation Alliance.