MoD spending £1m in taxpayer cash on private school fees in bid to avoid Welsh language

This figure represented an increase from the previous year, when they spent £942,000 for 79 children.

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

Welsh nationalist political party Plaid Cymru described the funding as a "complete waste of money" and "an insult to our language".

The Conservative Party argued that parents should have the right to choose the language in which their children are taught.

The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its workforce, "if you live and serve in north Wales, where state schools teach some or all lessons in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-language independent school.

"Provided you are accompanied by your family at your duty station, you can use this allowance to cover the cost of tuition fees, field study trips/residential educational courses and daily transport."

Military personnel stationed in North Wales can receive financial support of up to £22,755 annually to send their children to private schools.

The scheme specifically targets regions where state education operates on a bilingual or non-English basis.

The funding applies to service members residing in Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire.

Eligible personnel must serve at RAF Valley, the Joint Services Mountain Training Centre on Anglesey, the Mountain Training Wing in Llanrwst, or Bangor's Wales University Officers' Training Corps detachment in Caernarfon.

Four private schools in north-west Wales qualify for the scheme.

An MoD spokesperson told the BBC: "The purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to assist service families posted to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of local state education.

"As mobility is a part of service life, service children can face frequent moves and DSA-NW aims to minimise disruption to their education.

"The MoD supports the sacrifices service personnel, and their families make, and DSA-NW assists with the costs of independent day schooling given in English."

Welsh Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar told the BBC: "Members of the British armed forces move around the country and the world, and the MoD have always tried to ensure that their children have access to consistency in education.

"While we fully support Welsh-medium education across Wales, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our country, English and Welsh, and local councils and education authorities should provide for both.

"Parents should always have the option to choose the medium in which their children are taught."

In 1990, the Welsh language became a compulsory subject in schools in the country.

Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said "not only is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our language".

"I cannot think of any valid reason to be spending such money every year, on preventing young people living in Wales from having the opportunity to learn the Welsh language.

"Bilingualism enriches life and supports the development of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this.

"This money is a perfect example of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards Wales and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."