Local government authorities will be tasked with investigating the suspected illegal hiring of foreign maids by certain social celebrities and wealthy families, a Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) official said Thursday. 'We will come up with a special investigation plan in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the Department of Health (DOH) in the near future, ' said Tsai Meng-liang, a CLA section chief in charge of foreign labor affairs. The CLA will ask MOJ and DOH officials to help figure out how the illegal hiring is taking place and outline major indicators to evaluate the legality of hiring of foreign caregivers or foreign domestic helpers in the suspect cases, Tsai said. Once the blueprint is rounded out, he continued, the CLA will direct city and county labor offices to launch probes into suspect cases using the guidelines as a basis for their investigations. 'Members of the public are also welcome to offer tip-offs or information to local labor offices to facilitate the investigations,' Tsai added. Calls for the labor authorities to look into the suspected illegal employment of foreign caregivers and maids had arisen in recent days after several entertainers and socialites talked about their foreign maids on TV talk shows, some of whom even mocked their foreign maids. Under existing laws, only families with disabled or seriously ill members, or households with a third young child plus an elderly member, or those who meet certain stringent requirements are eligible to hire foreign caregivers or maids. Those caught hiring foreign caregivers or maids using false documents are liable to fines ranging between NT$300,000 and NT$1.5 million and having their permit to hire a foreign caregiver immediately revoked. Violators will also be prohibited from hiring a foreign helper for at least two years or even permanently. Those who ask their foreign caregivers or maids to do chores other than those specified or stated in their employment permit will be slapped with fines of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000. Those involved in such cases might also be charged with document forgery, CLA officials said. 