MPs in the South claimed almost £50,000 from the taxpayer for second homes in a six-month period, it was revealed yesterday.

The spending emerged as the House of Commons published the latest itemised breakdown of how allowances were used.

Between July and December last year, the latest period for which information is available, ten MPs in south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight claimed a total of £48,939 for Personal Additional Accommodation Expenditure (PAAE), paid to reimburse members for “necessary” costs incurred when staying overnight away from their main home.

In the South, the biggest spender was Mark Oaten, former Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, who claimed £12,605 over the six-month period. The largest chunk of his claims were for monthly rent of £1,313 on a London flat. Mr Oaten, who was unavailable for comment yesterday, was followed by fellow Lib Dem Sandra Gidley, former Romsey MP, who claimed £11,260.

The highest claiming sitting MP was Mark Hoban, Conservative MP for Fareham, who spent £7,944 on running his second home.

Isle of Wight MP Andrew Turner claimed nothing at all for his second home in the second half of 2009 having submitted an annual claim at the start of the year, and New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne claimed just £763, mainly for mortgage interest.

Former Gosport MP Peter Viggers, whose attempted claim for a floating duck island was one of the most notorious claims of last year’s Parliamentary expenses scandal, claimed £4,117, mainly for mortgage interest and property service charges.

Nationally, when office, communications and incidental expenses are taken into account, as well as the PAAE, MPs claimed just over £10 million in expenses from the second and third quarters of the 2009/10 financial year. In the second and third quarters of 2008/9 a total of £11.7m was claimed, indicating that MPs’ spending fell significantly after the scandal.