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The Ministry of Defence spends around £1m each year to send students to private schools in north Wales because "public schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language".

The ministry disbursed over one million pounds in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in the current academic year, and nearly one million pounds for 79 children in the previous year under a longstanding policy.

An official representative said "service children can face frequent moves" and the stipend "aims to minimize interruption to their schooling".

Plaid Cymru described it as a "total misuse of money" and "a disrespect to our tongue" while the Conservatives said parents should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are taught.

These numbers were obtained following a inquiry under the public records law.

The online portal of RAF Valley on the island tells its workforce, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where public schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your kids to an English-language independent school".

"As long as you are accompanied by your family at your posting, you can use this allowance to cover the cost of school charges, field study trips/residential learning programs and regular commuting."

An MoD spokesperson told, "the aim of the educational stipend in the northern region (the allowance) is to support service families stationed to the region, where the Welsh tongue is the primary medium of public schooling".

"Since relocation is a aspect of military career, military kids can face regular transfers and the this allowance seeks to minimize disruption to their learning."

"The MoD acknowledges the sacrifices service personnel, and their relatives make, and from the stipend helps with the costs of private education given in English."

'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'

The benefit covers school costs up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds each semester, and is available to people residing in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and serving in these specific locations:

• The military base, the island
• The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
• The joint military mountain unit, the town
• Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor unit, Caernarfon

The qualifying private schools are Treffos institution, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's institution, Llandudno.

The relevant joint service publication states that "disbursement of the allowance is limited to those regions where teaching in the public system is on a dual-language or non-English foundation".

Personnel serving in other locations in the three branches of the armed forces - the ground forces, the naval service and the air service - can claim a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of 10% for each qualifying student.

Welsh Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar commented "personnel of the UK military relocate across the country and the globe, and the MoD has always sought to ensure that their kids have availability to consistency in education".

"Although we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education across the country, it's crucial to remember there are two official languages in our nation, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and education authorities should provide for both."

"Families should always have the choice to select the language in which their children are taught."

The Welsh party's learning representative Cefin Campbell MS said "not just is this a complete waste of funding, it is a slight to our tongue".

"I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be spending these funds annually, on blocking youth living in the country from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."

"Bilingualism enhances experience and aids the development of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."

"These funds is a clear illustration of the approach of the UK political groups regarding Wales and the native tongue - namely unawareness and disrespect."