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The MoD allocates around one million pounds each year to place students to private educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools teach some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue".

It paid £1,019,000 in educational stipend in north Wales for eighty-three students of military families in the current academic year, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a established policy.

A spokesperson said "military families' children can experience regular relocations" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their schooling".

Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of funds" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Tory party argued parents should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are taught.

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

The website of the military installation on the island tells its personnel, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where public schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language, you can opt to enroll your children to an English-medium private institution".

"As long as you are joined by your family at your posting, you can use this benefit to cover the expense of school charges, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."

A defense ministry representative explained, "the aim of the educational stipend in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to support service families posted to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of public schooling".

"As mobility 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 acknowledges the sacrifices service personnel, and their relatives make, and through the stipend helps with the costs of private education given in English."

'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'

The benefit covers school costs up to a limit of £22,755 a year, £7,585 per term, and is available to personnel living in the regions of Conwy, the area, Gwynedd, Anglesey or the district and working 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 (the corps), Bangor unit, the city

The qualifying independent institutions are Treffos institution, the village, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's, the city and St David's institution, Llandudno.

The applicable military policy document confirms that "disbursement of the stipend is restricted to those areas where instruction in the state sector is on a dual-language or non-English basis".

Personnel serving elsewhere in the three branches of the military - the Army, the naval service and the air service - can claim a educational continuity benefit which contributes towards 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 said "members of the UK military relocate across the country and the world, and the MoD have always sought to guarantee that their kids have access to consistency in schooling".

"While we fully support Welsh-language teaching across the country, it's crucial to recognize there are two official languages in our country, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and education authorities should provide for each."

"Parents should always have the option to decide the language in which their children are taught."

The Welsh party's education spokesperson the assembly member said "not only is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our tongue".

"I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be spending these funds every year, on blocking youth living in Wales from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh tongue."

"Bilingualism enriches experience and supports the development of young people, but the British administration is obviously blind to this."

"These funds is a clear illustration of the attitude of the UK political groups regarding the nation and the Welsh language - namely unawareness and insults."