Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988

2 For the purposes of any of the relevant provisions, “the period of retention”, in relation to any of a participant’s shares, means the period beginning on the date on which they are appropriated to him and ending on the second anniversary of that date or, if it is earlier—

(a) the date on which the participant ceases to be a director or employee of the grantor or, in the case of a group scheme, a participating company by reason of injury or disability or on account of his being dismissed by reason of redundancy, within the meaning of the [1978 c. 44.] Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 or the [1965 c. 19 (N.I.).] Contracts of Employment and Redundancy Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 1965; or

(b) the date on which the participant reaches pensionable age; or

(c) the date of the participant’s death;

(d) in a case where the participant’s shares are redeemable shares in a workers' cooperative, the date on which the participant ceases to be employed by, or by a subsidiary of, the cooperative.

For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a) above, in the case of a group scheme, the participant shall not be treated as ceasing to be a director or employee of a participating company until such time as he is no longer a director or employee of any of the participating companies.