A GROUP of MPs will make history tomorrow afternoon when they hold the first parliamentary meeting in Oxford for more than 330 years.

The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee is due to sit at 2pm in the Divinity School, off Catte Street, part of Oxford University’s Bodleian Libraries.

It is the first time MPs have held a session in the city since 1681, when Charles II summoned the so-called ‘Exclusion Parliament’.

As part of Parliament Week 2015, it is hoped it will encourage more people to take an active part in democracy.

The committee’s chairwoman is Oxford West MP Nicola Blackwood, who currently leads several inquiries into spending on science.

Miss Blackwood said: “This committee has never met outside London before, so it is inspiring to be at the Divinity School which has a historic link with Parliament.”

The Bodleian Library is a fitting place for the meeting.

It holds archives and collections related to the work of Parliament and hosted it several times in the 17th century.

The House of Commons met 390 years ago at the Divinity School in 1625 to avoid the plague in London, with King Charles I moving his Royalist Parliament there in 1644.

In 1665 the House of Lords met in the Geometry School – again, to avoid the plague in London – and the exclusion Parliament sat there in 1681 when Charles II was trying to prevent his brother, the Duke of York, from having his succession rights taken away.

He chose Oxford because London was dominated by those who favoured the exclusion and because he felt he could rely on the loyalty of the university.

When MPs meet this time, they will be watched by members of the public and sixth form students.

Other young people will be there as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s ‘find your voice’ scheme.

County council cabinet member cultural and community services Lorraine Lindsay Gale said: “The sitting is significant. We have been working with over 400 young people in libraries in Oxfordshire during 2015 and this is the high point.

“It has been incredibly valuable and enjoyable.”

The committee is to hear witnesses for its inquiry into the Ebola crisis, to ensure the Government bases decisions on good scientific evidence.

Dr Elizabeth Frazer, head of Oxford University’s department of politics, said: “Select committees are part of the way Parliament works, and understanding what they do and how they do it is part of our political education.“

Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, added: “The Bodleian has been a partner of Parliament Week since it launched in 2011 and we’re delighted to take part again.”