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The Ministry of Defence spends approximately one million pounds annually to send children to private schools in north Wales because "public schools provide various lessons in the Welsh tongue".

It paid over one million pounds in day school allowance in north Wales for eighty-three students of military families in the current academic year, and nearly one million pounds for 79 children in the previous year under a established policy.

A spokesperson said "service children can face frequent moves" and the allowance "aims to reduce disruption to their education".

Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of money" and "an insult to our tongue" while the Conservatives argued parents should be able to select the medium in which their children are educated.

The figures were acquired following a inquiry under the public records law.

The online portal of RAF Valley on the island informs its personnel, "for those residing and working in north Wales, where public schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your kids to an English-language private institution".

"Provided you are accompanied by your family at your posting, you can use this benefit to pay for the expense of school charges, educational excursions/residential learning programs and daily transport."

An MoD spokesperson explained, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to assist service families stationed to the region, where Welsh is the main language of public schooling".

"Since relocation is a aspect of service life, military kids can encounter regular transfers and the DSA-NW seeks to minimize disruption to their education."

"The MoD supports the contributions military members, and their families undertake, and from DSA-NW helps with the expenses of private education provided in the English language."

'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'

The allowance includes tuition fees up to a limit of £22,755 a year, £7,585 each semester, and is available to people residing in the regions of the county, the area, Gwynedd, the island or Flintshire and working in these specific locations:

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

The eligible independent institutions are Treffos school, the village, the island; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's school, Bangor and St David's institution, Llandudno.

The relevant joint service publication states that "payment of the allowance is limited to those areas where instruction in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English basis".

People serving elsewhere in the three branches of the military - the ground forces, the naval service and the Royal Air Force - can apply for a educational continuity benefit which helps with boarding and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a required family share of 10% for each qualifying student.

Tory Senedd member Natasha Asghar commented "personnel of the UK military move around the nation and the globe, and the ministry have always sought to ensure that their kids have access to consistency in education".

"While we fully support Welsh-language teaching across the country, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our country, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and school boards should provide for both."

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

Plaid Cymru's learning representative Cefin Campbell MS said "not only is this a total misuse of funding, it is an insult to our tongue".

"It's hard to imagine any valid reason to be spending such money annually, on preventing youth living in Wales from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."

"Bilingualism enhances experience and aids the growth of young people, but the British administration is clearly blind to this."

"These funds is a perfect example of the approach of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the native tongue - namely unawareness and disrespect."