Singapore Expats

Can someone please give me advice on hiring a part-time maid for general housekeeping and ironing? I have contacted a few agencies who can provide 'legal' maids, but do not provide insurance for breakage/accidents. My main concerns are:

1) Is there any way I can get insurance for breakage/accident without having to resort to hiring an overpriced cleaning company?
2) Do I need to provide health insurance for the maid in case of health and saftey problems whilst she is cleaning my flat?
3) How can I ensure the maid is a 'legal' worker? Can I request to see her Employment pass?
4) Does anyone have any experience with using the services of a maid agency?

oh good post because i need help to

sabs, did you bother to note the date that the post was made? 1 Sept 2008. That was quite some time ago. So I doubt you are going to see much help there.

thanks hihi...