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The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m annually to place children to independent schools in northern Wales because "state schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh language".

The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in day school allowance in the northern region for eighty-three students of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in the previous year under a established policy.

A spokesperson stated "military families' children can face frequent moves" and the allowance "aims to reduce disruption to their schooling".

Plaid Cymru called it a "total misuse of money" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Tory party said parents should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are educated.

These numbers were acquired following a inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act.

The website of RAF Valley on the island tells its personnel, "for those residing and working in north Wales, where state schools provide various lessons in the Welsh tongue, you may choose to send your kids to an English-language private institution".

"Provided you are accompanied by your household at your posting, you can utilize this benefit to cover the cost of school charges, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."

A defense ministry representative told, "the aim of the educational stipend in the northern region (the allowance) is to support service families stationed to the region, where Welsh is the main language of local state education".

"As mobility is a aspect of service life, service children can encounter regular transfers and from this allowance aims to lessen interference to their learning."

"The ministry supports the sacrifices military members, and their relatives undertake, and from the stipend helps with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."

'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'

The allowance covers tuition fees up to a limit of £22,755 annually, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds per term, and is accessible to personnel living in the counties of Conwy, the area, the locality, the island or the district and serving in these specific locations:

• RAF Valley, the island
• The combined forces alpine training facility, the island
• Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
• The university military training program (the corps), Bangor detachment, the city

The eligible private schools are Treffos school, the village, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, the town.

The applicable joint service publication confirms that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English foundation".

Personnel stationed in other locations in the three branches of the military - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force - can claim a continuity of education allowance which helps with residential and/or school charges up to a cap, with a required family share of 10% for each qualifying student.

Welsh Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar commented "members of the British armed forces relocate across the nation and the globe, and the MoD have always sought to ensure that their kids have access to consistency in education".

"While we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching throughout Wales, it's important to recognize there are two official languages in our nation, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and school boards should provide for each."

"Parents should always have the choice to decide the language in which their children are instructed."

Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson the assembly member said "not just is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our tongue".

"It's hard to imagine any justifiable cause to be spending such money every year, on blocking youth living in Wales from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh language."

"Dual-language ability enriches experience and aids the growth of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."

"These funds is a clear illustration of the approach of the Westminster parties regarding Wales and the native tongue - namely ignorance and disrespect."