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The Ministry of Defence allocates approximately one million pounds annually to place students to private schools in north Wales because "state schools teach various lessons in the Welsh language".

The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in educational stipend in north Wales for 83 children of service personnel in the current academic year, and nearly one million pounds for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a established policy.

A spokesperson stated "service children can experience regular relocations" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their education".

Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of money" and "an insult to our tongue" while the Conservatives said families should be able to select the language in which their children are taught.

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

The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its personnel, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where public schools provide various lessons in the Welsh language, you can opt to send your children to an English-medium private institution".

"Provided you are accompanied by your family 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 explained, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to assist service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue 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 lessen interference to their learning."

"The ministry supports the sacrifices military members, and their families make, and from the stipend helps with the expenses of independent day schooling given in English."

'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'

The benefit covers school costs up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds per term, and is available to personnel living in the counties of the county, Denbighshire, the locality, 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
• The university military training program (UOTC), Bangor unit, Caernarfon

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

The applicable military policy document states that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where teaching in the public system is on a dual-language or non-English basis".

Personnel serving in other locations in the three branches of the military - the ground forces, the naval service and the air service - can claim a educational continuity benefit which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a required family share of ten percent for each eligible child.

Welsh Conservative assembly representative the politician said "members of the UK military relocate across the nation and the world, and the MoD have always tried to ensure that their kids have availability to continuity in schooling".

"Although we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching across Wales, it's crucial to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our country, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and school boards should accommodate each."

"Families should always have the choice to decide the medium in which their kids are taught."

The Welsh party's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said "not just is this a total misuse of money, it is a slight to our tongue".

"It's hard to imagine any valid reason to be allocating such money annually, on preventing young people living in the country from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh language."

"Dual-language ability enhances experience and aids the development of young people, but the UK government is obviously blind to this."

"These funds is a clear illustration of the approach of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."