Politicians ran up expenses bills of almost £300,000 in one year on foreign trips for little-noticed meetings in places such as New York and Vienna, a freedom of information request has revealed.

The figures released by the House of Commons show MPs and peers claimed £298,000 in 2013/14 and around £220,000 in the first nine months of 2014/15 for attendance at little-noted Council of Europe sessions and assemblies of Nato and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The data, revealed after a request by the Press Association, shows nearly £5,500 was claimed by Mike Hancock – who quit the Lib Dems over an “inappropriate” relationship with a vulnerable constituent – for a three-day meeting of the political affairs committee in New York in November. His flights and travel came to £4,356, and hotel and subsistence £1,096.

In other notable claims:

Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten was recorded as making a £2,000 taxpayer-funded trip to Athens for a meeting of a body that was being abolished – despite no longer being an MP. A Commons spokesman said politicians could remain as delegation members for six months after an election, unless they were replaced earlier by the prime minister.

Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott went to Monaco for a one-day meeting about sustainable development in March 2011, with travel costing £750 and subsistence £574.

Christopher Chope and Bob Neill, two Conservative MPs, had travel costs of £832 and £838 respectively for a two-day legal affairs committee meeting in Madrid last October.

Hereditary peer the Earl of Dundee attended a one-day social affairs committee meeting in Paris in December last year, which cost £363 for travel and £320 for hotel and subsistence.

Jim Hood, Labour’s former MP for Lanark and Hamilton East, is listed as incurring a £1,400 travel bill to get to a session of the migration, refugees and displaced persons committee in Paris in June 2013.

Sir Hugh Bayley and Sir John Stanley went to South Korea last November for a four-day discussion about transatlantic defence and security co-operation. Their travel bills were £5,026 and £4,954 respectively, and subsistence £1,677 and £1,506.

Sir Simon Burns observed the US elections on behalf of the OSCE for four days last November, with travel costing £4,056 and subsistence £930. He stressed all arrangements were made by the OSCE office.

A Commons spokesman said: “The United Kingdom has been a leading member of the Council of Europe, Nato and OSCE since their inception. The parliamentary assemblies of these bodies were set up to provide accountability to parliaments of member states and to assist and promote their work.

“The assemblies run a range of activities in pursuit of these aims including questioning ministerial representatives and debating sessions.”

The chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, Jonathan Isaby, told PA: “While some of these trips may well be justified, transparency must be significantly improved so that taxpayers can judge whether or not each trip is truly worthwhile.

“Travel bills must be kept as low as possible, and many of the figures suggest that MPs were enjoying first- or business-class travel on the taxpayers’ tab. In the midst of a necessary savings programme across government, spending on MPs’ travel and overseas adventures cannot be immune.”