The top 250 civil servants will have to publish their business expenses every three months, the cabinet secretary has announced.

Sir Gus O'Donnell released his own expenses for April, May and June this year in order to show his committment to the principle of transparency.

In a letter to Dr Tony Wright, public administration select committee chairman, Sir Gus said the move was "part of a process of wider consideration of how the civil service plays its part in meeting the understandable expectations of accounting to the taxpayer for the use of public money".

It follows the publication earlier this year of the expenses claimed by all departmental board members, and Conservative party leader David Cameron's suggestion that the expenses of all public servants earning more than £150,000 be published.

Under the scheme announced by Sir Gus on Tuesday, all officials at director general level and above, and all non-executive members of department boards, must have their expenses claims published.

The plans covers about 250 senior officials and is set to produce an itemised breakdown of travel, hotel and other information on hospitality received.

Sir Gus's expenses revealed that, in April, May and June, he spent £19,000 on the use of his official car, £451 on attending the Edinburgh cabinet meeting and visiting civil servants based there, and £130.50 on newspapers.

He also received hospitality from ITV, PWC, the CBI, the Institute for Government and the Centre for Policy Studies.

Departments are due to produce the first lists as soon as they are ready after the end of June.